I spouc t mî faɖr rīsntli abt ɖ conflict in Ycren. Eni sićueśn ɖt involvz agreśn, injustis or wor wuriz m. Mî faɖr, ɖo, wz angri n śarp. H b’livd evrʈñ ɖ oʈoṛtiz wr dwñ wz rît. Acordñ t him, Ycren wz bilt wɖ Sovịt muni, n it b’loñz t Ruśa. F it z okpaid, ɖ Ycreńn ppl r simpli biyñ sevd fṛm ɖer guvnmnt. N Ruśa’z bordrz wl b mor s’kr.

Mî faɖr z an edycetd prsn. H z midl clas. H dz’nt wrc fr wn v ɖ guvnmnt ejnsiz or bizṇsz. H īvn hz Ycreńn rūts. Bt hiz opińn cmplitli cǒinsîdz wɖ ɖ opińn v Vlajīmir Pūćin.

Az misîlz atac Ycren’z infṛstrucćr, h holdz stroñ in hiz b’lif ɖt ɖ cuntri śd ynît n pruv itslf – wns agn śo its streñʈ n pǎr, n nt step bac. Ɖ wst śd unḍstand hu it z dīlñ wɖ, n ɖt Ruśnz d nt ʈro wrdz t ɖ wind n y canot ngośiet wɖ s wɖ ulṭmetmz.

Amñ mî frendz, reḷtivz n colīgz, ɖr wr fy hu wd pubḷcli dscus Ruśa’z ax́nz az an act v agreśn. Mni bcz ɖe ʈnc it’s betr nt t dscus n ʈnc abt it. Mni dd nt b’liv ɖr wd b a wor.

Instd ppl tōct abt ɖ smōl ʈñz in ɖer livz ɖt wl b afctd. Sañśnz. Agn. Ǎr abiḷti t travl. Hǎ ʈñz wl b mor xpnsiv in dolrz n yroz. N hǎ ppl in Yṛp wl dslîc s īvn mor nǎ.

Tde’z nyz hz śoct ɖm. Nǎ, evrwn z afreid ɖt ɖe wl no longr b ebl t līv ɖ cuntri. Ɖe fîṇli riylîzd ɖt ol ɖs wl afct ć v ɖm. Ɖ frst fīlñ ɖt ɖe hv xpirịnst z śem: śem abt ẃt z haṗnñ n śem v biyñ ɖ sitizn v an agresr.

Fr mni munʈs, f y lct at ɖ mênstrīm mīdia, ɖe hv bn seyñ ɖ wst hd insidịs planz ɖt wd end wɖ wor. Ɖ eṇmi at ɖ get z ɖ Ynîtd Stets, Nato, or Yṛp. Ɖe sd ɖt ɖ wst hd planz t dplô ńclir wepnz t Ycren n tec awe ǎr ńclir arsnl. Ultiṃtli t tec ovr Ruśa: dvîd it, dstrô it n tec it apart.

Ɖs z sd nt jst on stetnyz, bt dscust ol de on big tōcśoz lîc Tîm Wl Tel. Ɖr z a sns ɖt w r an unḍdog – w r nt luvd, w r insultd, w r unḍesṭmetd, w r nt axptd. Ɖ wrld nīdz t rspct s agn – w cd rgen ɖ pǎr v ɖ Ruśn empîr or īvn ɖ Sovịt Yńn.

N fr yirz, ɖ foṛn vôsz n fesz w hv bn śoun r unhapi pro-Ruśn rezidnts v Donbas. Ɖe r śoun begñ fr hlp, plīdñ fr recgniśn n seyñ hǎ badli ɖe r trītd in Ycren. (W nvr hír abt hǎ w – or ɖ Ruśn guvnmnt – hz fînanst ɖ conflict in ɖ rījn.)

Ɖr hv bn mni rīznz ppl g alñ wɖ ɖs or fŭli s’port it. Oldr ppl stl hv meṃriz v ɖ Sovịt ira; sîḷns wz svîvl, n it stl weiz on ɖm. Ɖr r mni ppl, ispeṣ́li in rṛl eriaz, ẃr a lot v wrc z in ɖ public sectr, n ɖr r mor rūlz abt spīcñ ǎt. Ɖe r afreid v luzñ ɖer lîvlihd.

Mni yungr ppl born jrñ or aftr peṛstrôca wont t līv, n mni hv bcm pasiv. Ɖe d’nt ʈnc ɖe cn ćenj ɖ sićueśn. Ɖ sistm istabliśt a harś criminl rsponsbiḷti fr xpresñ wn’z ǒn opińn: p t fîv yirz in prizn fr protests or pubḷceśnz on ɖ inṭnet. Ɖ icoṇmi z stagnnt. W r dpndnt on fosilfyl inḍstriz, mni sectrz r c’rupt n fl v croniizm. Ɖ tecovr v biznis bî criminl oligarcs z obvịs t evrwn. It z īzi t b’liv nʈñ cn ćenj. Ɖs z ɖ litl man’z complex, instild bî ɖ oʈoṛtiz fr yirz – ɖt I am a smōl inṣgnificnt prsn hu cn d nʈñ.

Stl, I ʈnc ɖt lîc m, mni yungr ppl d’nt b’liv ɖ sūṗfiśl propganda abt Ycren. W cndem ol formz v agreśn. W b’liv ɖ atac on Ycren wz clirli pland in advans – ol mî frendz śer ɖs b’lif. Ɖr r mni wez t gt inḟmeśn n t ʈnc fr yrslf, f y cn lc n y hv brenz – fr yungr ppl, ispeṣ́li. Ɖr r Teḷgram ćanlz. Brev blogrz n YTybrz. Ɖr r mni wez t gt nyz fṛm uɖr cuntriz n t fînd ppl hu wl criṭsîz ẃt z haṗnñ.

I b’liv, n hop, ɖt ɖr wl b no esc̣leśn v ɖ conflict, bt sañśnz fr Ruśa wl b monstṛs. Ɖr wl b globl îṣleśn fr s. Ɖ ofiśl pziśn v ɖ Cremlin z ɖ dīmiliṭrîześn n dīnaśṇlîześn v Ycren. I d’nt nǒ hǎ t liv wɖ ɖs: it’s a śem n dsgres. Bt no form v protest z poṣbl wɖ s. Abṣlutli nn. It’s ɖ fīlñ v a hlplis hostij.