‘Pūtin z cilñ sviłnz’: ɖ trensteśn ẃr Ruśnz r grītd wɖ iṃjz v wor
(Transcription of an article published in the Guardian on Saturday 9 April 2022)
In Liʈueńa, Ruśnz cḿtñ t Caliningrad cm fes-t-fes wɖ foṭgrafs v bomd Ycreńn sitiz n bludid bodiz
Philip Oltermann in Vilnius, Saṭde 9 Epril 2022
Az ɖ nîțren fṛm Mosco pld intu Vilnius sntṛl steśn fr its scejld 10-minit stop, a krịs per v îz pìct ʈru wn v its windoz – onli t dis’pir bhnd a hesṭli clozd crtn.
Ɖ pasinjrz on ɖ tren wr hedñ t ɖ Ruśn xclev v Caliningrad, ẃć cn b axest via rel onli bî crosñ ʈru Liʈueńa, n on ɖ platform ǎtsd ɖe wr fest wɖ iṃjz v wor n dstrux́n.
Twenti-for larj foṭgrafs, graficli dpictñ bomd-ǎt Ycreńn sitiz, ded Ycreńn ćildṛn n bludid Ycreńn bodiz wɖ śrapnl wūndz, hv bn instōld hir bî Liʈueńa’z relpṛvîdr ŁTG, ẃć olso pṛvîdz ɖ loc̣motiv ɖt plz ɖ Ruśn caṛjz ʈru YY teritri.
Ɖe ol cari ɖ sem mesij in Ruśn, ẃć z rpitd ʈru ɖ public-adres sistm az ɖ tren stops: “Tde, Pūtin z cilñ sviłnz in Ycren. D y s’port ɖs?”
“Ppl in Ruśa d’nt hv mć axes t unbayst inḟmeśn,” sd Mantas Dubauskas, an ŁTG spocsprsn. “Mbi w cn ćenj ɖ mîndz v jst a cupl v pasinjrz.”
Ɖ insṭleśn at Vilnius sntṛl steśn z simbolic v a Bōltic neśn ɖt dz’nt so mć lc caud bî ɖ wor in a felo formr Sovịt stet, az imboldnd t tel ɖ wrld it nīdz fîṇli t stand p t Ruśa.
In ɖ frst fy dez aftr Ruśn trūps stept on t Ycreńn sôl on 24 Febrri, añzayti spred arnd Liʈueńa, ẃć hz bn an indipndnt rpublic sins 1990 n a membr v Nato sins 2004.
“It bròt p a lot v historic firz in mî cuntri,” sd Linas Kojala, d’rectr v ɖ Īstn-Yṛp Studiz Sntr ʈnctanc. “I hd duznz v meṣjz fṛm frendz ascñ ẃt wd hapn nxt. Sm asct f ɖe śd līv ɖ cuntri, mbi t Spen or Porćgl. Y jst hv t lc at a map v ɖ rījn t fīl uncumftbl.”
Ɖ suɖnmost v ɖ ʈri Bōltic YY cuntriz, Liʈueńa bordrz Caliningrad t its wst n Beḷrūs t its īst – a militri coṛdor btwn ɖ xclev n ɖ clayntstet wd cut ɖ Bōltic stets of fṛm ɖ rest v Yṛp.
Bt wɖn dez v ɖ start v Ruśa’z inveźn, añzayti in ɖ Baltics hd trnsformd intu rzolv. In ɖ sntr v Vilnius, Ycreńn flagz ǎtnumbr Liʈueńn wnz, wɖ ɖ yelo n blu drept arnd guvnmntbildñz, spreid on old sitiwōlz or rápt az scarvz arnd śopfrunt maṇcinz.
On 1 Epril Liʈueńa bcem ɖ frst YY cuntri t anǎns ɖt it hd abandnd Ruśn gas, instd mītñ its eṇji dmandz via a flotñ LNG trminl in ɖ porțǎn v Klaipėda.
It wz olso wn v ɖ frst YY cuntriz t dǎngred its dipḷmatic tîz wɖ ɖ Cremlin aftr rports v worcrîmz imrjd fṛm Būća, wɖdrw̃ its ǒn top dipḷmat fṛm Mosco n ascñ ɖ Ruśn ambasdr t līv ɖ Liʈueńn capitl.
Ɖ mesij wz viẓ́li unḍlînd bî an artpformns jst a ston’z ʈro fṛm ɖ Ruśn Feḍreśn’z dipḷmatic bes in Vilnius: last Wnzde mornñ, Liʈueńn Olimpic ćampịn Rūta Meilutytė tc a swim in a nirbî pond ɖt hd bn culrd blud-red wɖ naćṛl dai.
“W wontd t rmînd ppl hǎ importnt it z t cīp lcñ at ẃt Ruśn agreśn z dwñ,” sd Berta Tilmantaite, a jrṇlist n artist hu hlpt orġnîz ɖ protest. “I cn unḍstand ẃ ppl lc awe or gt tîrd v ɖ nyz.
“Bt in Liʈueńa w nǒ Ruśa, n w d’nt fīl scerd at ɖs momnt,” Tilmantaite tld ɖ Obzrvr. “W fīl a lot v dtrṃneśn.”
Enwn wontñ t nǒ ẃt’s drîvñ Liʈueńa’z prominnt stans at ɖs juñćr in hisṭri nīd’nt lc mć frɖr ɖn Vilnius’z Ḿziym v Okpeśnz n Frīdmfîts. Lcetd in ɖ formr CGB hedqortrz acrs fṛm Lukiškės Sqer, ɖ ḿziym tlz ɖ stori v hǎ ɖ Sovịt Yńn in Jūn 1940 dlivrd Liʈueńa wɖ an ulṭmetm t alǎ Red Armi trūps t cros its bordrz.
Tnśnz btwn Mosco n Vilnius hd bn rîzñ aftr ɖ Sovịt foṛn ministr akzd Liʈueńa v torć̣rñ n cilñ ʈri v its soljrz. Wɖ Ruśn trūps mast on its bordrz olrdi ǎtnumḅrñ its ǒn, ɖ Liʈueńn guvnmnt handd ovr ɖ cuntri t a pupitreźīm. Most v ɖ xbiśnspes at ɖ ḿziym z gvn t ɖoz parṭzanz hu cntinyd t fît fr indipndns nnɖles.
Migle Kriksciunaite, 25, wz viẓtñ ɖ ḿziym intu ɖ afṭnunsún wɖ hr peṛnts. Wr ɖr lésnz ɖt ɖ rest v Yṛp cd lrn fṛm Liʈueńa’z hisṭri? “Ɖ lésn ǎr hisṭri tīćz s z qt simpl,” ś sd. “Fît fr yr frīdm. It’s ɖt stretfwd.”
