I Went to Ukraine, and I Saw a Resolve That We Should Learn From

Nicholas Kristof and Emile Ducke / The New York Times

Mykhailo Chendey, right, with his wife, Valentyna, heard the screams of other prisoners while being held by Russian interrogators, who shattered his arm. He was left in a coma for three days, she said. (photo: Emile Ducke/The New York Times)

17 November 22

Inna Osipova pointed to the 30-foot pile of rubble that is all that’s left of her apartment building. She and her 5-year-old son narrowly escaped when Russian shelling destroyed the structure, but her grandmother did not and is interred somewhere in the wreckage. Osipova hopes her body will be found so she can be given a proper burial.

Her voice cracked with emotion, but she held together until I asked what she thought of Americans who say it’s time to move on from supporting Ukraine.

“We’re people, you understand,” she said, and she began weeping. “It doesn’t matter if we’re Ukrainian or American — such things should not happen.” And then she was crying too hard to continue.

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