The Russian war in Ukraine will show you the future of Europe and the world.
Young Writers In War
I’m reading Illia Ponomarenko’s book, “I Will Show You How It Was.” It’s a raw, irreverent account of a young Ukrainian reporter as his country heroically defended itself against the Russian invasion. 
He was in Bucha, a suburb of Kyiv, a community much like St Albert, that bore the brunt of civilian atrocities.
I’ve been to Kyiv. Close your eyes and life sounds there like it does downtown in any Canadian, big city. The buildings are older, but the people look like our neighbours. Their normal lives were brutally upended.
Illia writes an eyewitness account from March 18, 2022, of people fleeing fire and death, many barefoot, in shock and terror. The Battle of Kyiv was one of the most tragic and bizarre events in modern history. It was the opening act of the biggest European bloodbath since 1945. Outgunned and outmanned, Ukraine sustained the most critical blow and then fought back. And they have been fighting back for over three years. Their courage and resilience are remarkable. Fox News demeans them, but they are the heroes of freedom.
Their fight is altering the course of European history. But for how long?
What Lies Ahead
Russia increased attacks on Ukraine since Inauguration Day. The US wants concessions from Zelensky for peace but apparently, none from Putin.
What will a young, Canadian reporter write about how it was in 2025? Canadians face the first weeks of a declared tariff war with our neighbour. It’s bloodless, so far.
War, as all crises, is a place where all things artificial, trivial, pretentious, and contrived fall away, leaving people to confront real problems and make decisions about matters of life and death.
So, the question arises—against the backdrop of Ukraine’s war and a US/Canada trade war—am I capable of focusing on what truly matters: saving lives, upholding values, honouring sacrifice, and striving to preserve what people hold dear?
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Thank you for this… I want to keep praying for and keep my eyes on Ukraine. World leaders are breaking agreements. In 1994 Russia signed an agreement called the Budapest Memorandum; the intent was to protect the Ukraine and several other countries as they gave their nuclear weapons to Russia following the split of the USSR. Russia continues to break that treaty, first in 2014 when they took the Crimea and then again when they invaded the Ukraine three years ago. In 2020 Trump signed the US-Mexico-Canada free trade agreement (NAFTA). The first review of it was to take place in 2026 but no, the agreement is being ignored.
I usually listen to or watch the news several times a day but not so much lately. I refuse to give any recognition to two leaders who both crave attention and who don’t do what they say they are going to do. As one journalist put it “as time goes on their words and actions have very little value”.
I have to take a break from the news and social media. So many blatant lies and half truths. It can feel suffocating. It’s important to be aware or informed. At times it seems like a soap opera. You can go away for a few days and comeback and nothing has really changed other than a stronger sense of personal peace of mind. More intercession. Less media.