Why Shpylka

Because it was time for it to appear. There's so much inside me that for years it hasn't given me a chance at normal sleep. I haven't lived in Ukraine for a long time, but what happens there still burns me. The last straw was that therapy isn't helping. I decided that putting my thoughts out for everyone to judge would help.

What drives me crazy most about refugees is that in '22 the world opened its doors to all Ukrainians, while in 2014 even Kyiv didn't make us welcome. If you didn't know anyone in the city, finding stability there was impossible. It drives me crazy that laws are passed for displaced people, and most of them can't use those laws. It also drives me crazy that people rented out their homes to real war refugees, came over on U4U themselves, and walk around Miami applying for government aid.

It drives me crazy that we're fighting for Donbas, and nobody thinks about the people who stayed there. How do we bring them into Ukrainian society after victory, when society won't accept Russian speakers? Nobody is thinking about that.

The very existence of corruption drives me crazy. During a war, twice as much. It drives me crazy that everyone knows about it and nobody can do anything. Cronies and fixers everywhere.

We Ukrainians are all so good at organizing ourselves, yet we can't build a normal state. I want people to be more critical when they choose who governs them. I want strong slogans to be backed by action. From people, I want a productive discussion.