Englishman in Kyiv: the reward of being here is for me greater than the risk which I accept
Somebody is knocking on the door. I know who it should be, but still look into the peephole. I open the door and hug this cheerful young Britishman whom I have not seen for 5 years.
Englishman in Kyiv: the reward of being here is for me greater than the risk which I accept
“Come on in Johnny, why so late, have you been walking from London?”
Jonathan Heap, my friend from Leeds, wanted to come again to Ukraine in July 2022. And here he is, in my apartment, gathering with my friends and my boyfriend, playing Monopoly, chatting and rushing back home before 11 PM. It’s a curfew time, it’s war in Ukraine and Johnny made it to Kyiv, for the 5th time, despite the russian aggression.
We are meeting again in a week for a Kyiv Backyards Tour and photoshoot. I want to show Jonny some of my favorite backyards and hidden bars and cafes, while my boyfriend is taking photos of us. But most importantly I want to hear how he feels about being in Kyiv knowing the war is still going on. I ask him why he had decided to visit Ukraine again, especially now, in time of war.
“Well for me personally Ukraine is a country I love dearly, when I first came to Kyiv I fell completely in love with the city, I had always planned to come back to Ukraine this year, obviously when the full scale invasion started it made me think about the decision but ultimately Ukraine and Ukrainians need people to come here, to support, to volunteer, to spend money so it didn’t change my opinion about coming to this country I love”.
Luckily there are no air raid sirens as we walk, which means there is no missiles or drones threat, but I am curious how Johnny feels about the possible danger of russian rockets or even nuclear attacks.
“To be honest I feel perfectly safe in Kyiv, however I am aware of the potential risk but it’s a risk vs reward scenario, the reward of being here is for me greater than the risk which I accept”, replies Jonathan.
It is a weekend, so the city feels especially lively, but mostly because people started to come back after the threat of Kyiv’s occupation. For Jonathan the last time in Kyiv was 2017. We met when I worked part time as an administrator in Kyiv’s hostel where Johnny used to stay. Looking back at those years I feel like it was the carefree youth: all problems seem like a piece of cake compared to what Ukrainians are going through right now. But I wonder if Johnny feels that the city has changed over these couple of years.
“Well the last time I was in Kyiv was 2017 so it’s hard to remember specifically, in many ways the city still feels the same, it’s still beautiful, the people are still the warmest, obviously you can feel the war here because there is daily reminders in terms of military personal, billboards etc but Kyiv for me is still the same magical place and I would encourage people to visit even in these times, really important to support the economy”, he says.
“The reward of being here is for me greater than the risk which I accept”
There’s more police on the streets now, and not everywhere you can take photos, so we get into hidden backyards of Kyiv for some photoshoots: some are closed now so I slightly change our route. It feels especially cozy yet surreal in the backyard of the building where the creator of the first in the world helicopter used to live: Ihor Sikorsky’s house is slowly but steadily falling apart as the local government takes no action to rebuild the architectural gem. Ukrainians are fighting not only with russia but also with the inner enemy, such as corruption. It is vital for me to know what my foreign friends think about the most important changes that Ukraine needs now or will need in the future. Johnny is no exception, so I ask him the same question.
“It is hard to answer what the country needs to change after the war is over, because I have only ever viewed Ukraine for the rose tinted tourist glasses, from what people tell me there is still a legacy of corruption that does need to be dealt with, however I honestly believe the future for Ukraine is so so bright, the younger generations are incredibly intelligent and more importantly hungry so the future of the country is in great hands”, my British friend is quite optimistic, which gives hope in these hard times.
I cannot skip the question of Ukrainian-British relations during the wartime. Great Britain offered and keeps offering huge help for Ukraine in terms of arming our Army and also gave home and support to many Ukrainian refugees.
“I believe the Ukrainian-British relations are at the highest point they’ve ever been, I know Boris seems to be very much loved here, more popular here than in the UK! I genuinely feel that Ukrainians are grateful for the support they’ve received, as a Brit I still feel we could have done more but that’s my bias towards Ukraine coming in. I was also here when the queen died and some of the comments from the locals were very touching”, says Jonathan.
We sneak into a couple other secret backyards of Kyiv – I want to show my friend a couple of local secret bars and cafes, most of which are usually hidden from the eyes of passers-by. It’s still warm to sit outside, so we get our drinks, my boyfriend and Jonny start to play chess, meanwhile I can only watch them. We agree that I will send him some more questions about Ukraine later on, while now we can enjoy a lovely casual chat. I am touched to read later what Johnny says about Kyiv:
“It’s one of the most beautiful cities I’ve ever seen, every street offers something different, sometimes I walk around somewhere and I’m just blown away by the beauty of it, the buildings, the churches, the cafes, the monasteries, it’s literally got everything but when people ask me why I love Ukraine so much I always talk about the people, Ukraine really is a country of great people and Kyiv is the capital of that”.
We are going for a quick bite and about to say goodnight to each other. It might seem like a peaceful evening, there’s no air siren and, thankfully, no explosions, the frontline moved far from Kyiv in spring 2022. Only the tension in the air and people rushing home before curfew remind us that the war is still going on.
Note: The interview was taken in autumn 2022. As for March 2024, when it’s published, Russia keeps attacking Ukrainian cities and villages with missiles, drones, artillery and bombs. There is no place in Ukraine which is completely safe. Ukrainians still, more than ever, need international support.
I want to thank our international and especially British friends for supporting Ukraine in our fight for freedom.