He is a poet, literary critic and translator. He organizes international events and literature days. At least that’s what he did until the bombs came. He is now engaged in “information campaigns” in support of the Ukrainian cause. He bears a grudge against his fellow Russian writers. None, he says, have written to show their support. Neither did those who opposed Putin. He says he doesn’t live in fear, joking that the possibility of a missile hitting him is like “Russian roulette.” The Newspaper of Spaina newspaper belonging to the same publishing group as this medium, speaks by videoconference with Dmitro Chystiak (kyiv, 1987), vice president of the National Association of Ukrainian Writers, in kyiv, to see what life is like for writers in a besieged country.
How is your life, your routine, in the midst of the invasion?
It has changed a lot. Before, I was engaged in literary and cultural projects with my international partners. On February 24, my new life began: attacks at any time of the day or night. Right now, while I’m talking to you, an attack is taking place.
And you don’t have to go down to the shelter?
My family and I have decided not to go down. With two walls of separation with a window, the damage will not be too much and we could survive. Many people stay. Now we spend all day trying to help the refugees, putting them up in the houses of writers from other countries. We also carry out information campaigns about what is happening in our country and what awaits it in the future.
How is life in kyiv?
Here we are much better than in other places in the country. There are many open things, it is not a closed city. But there is a special regime: some days there are curfews. When there isn’t, people go to the parks, to the streets to walk, to the cafes. But almost all of them also help the Army or the refugees. There are few who have not understood that it is necessary and continue with normal life.
I guess there is not much cultural life…
There isn’t. The cultural life is nothing like what it used to be. People don’t go to the theaters, to the cinemas, there are no literary meetings in our writers’ association. Yes we can do things online. But not all writers are good with the Internet. Some are older. Our association (founded in 1934) has 2,000 writers all over the country, 700 of them in kyiv.
The emotional tension at this time must be high, not knowing if Putin’s Army will reach the city. How do you deal with it?
The first days, when the war started, many people were thinking about death. But when we started to see all the pain and death around us: friends who have died, family members who have died… Then we understood that it is a question of how much risk you expose yourself to. Of course, any of us can be killed at any time by a Russian missile. It’s a bit of a Russian roulette [ríe]. But if we remain in that fear, we cannot be useful to our country.
Did you consider yourself a pacifist before the war?
I think that all writers have an aesthetic vision of the world and see peace as something necessary for progress. I have worked all my life for cultural relations with other countries, from Asia, Europe, America… When Russia started the war, in 2014, when they attacked us in Crimea and Donbas, we understood what was coming next. We understood the possible consequences of this war.
Are you writing about this experience? Do you keep a diary?
I don’t keep a diary, but I do try to record the most important events, the ones that have the most emotional impact. I want to share that material later. I also want to collect writings from other writers about the situation in Ukraine and make a book out of all of them. A collage of stories from this war. It will be interesting for Ukrainians, perhaps also for outside Ukraine.
Have you had to do military training?
Because of my health problems, I have very poor eyesight, no. Those who have military training do go to the Army. The rest can be mobilized, me too. I, of course, would go, it might come in handy somewhere. Now, for example, I am useful in what I do, because I get more support for the Army. I do something that others cannot, because of my international relations. I think it is useful for the victory of Ukraine.
How will all this end? Will they manage to complete the invasion?
I think Ukraine will win, one day. The question is when it will be. kyiv is no longer surrounded, although many cities around it have been destroyed. Russia is losing a lot of troops. But we have two million inhabitants. With the thousands of Russian soldiers they are not going to be able to harm us.
Are you afraid of a nuclear bomb?
No. If they launch it, they would destroy parts of Belarus and Russia, and other countries close to Ukraine. If someone wanted to use these weapons in Russia, they would be killed before they got it. [ríe]. If it is Putin, they will overthrow him immediately.
Related news
Do you have Russian friends? Do you talk to them?
We have been at war with Russia for eight years now. Before we had contact with Russian writers. When we went to international meetings, in Paris or Brussels, I no longer had many Russian friends. You can’t be a real friend in that situation. But he had contact with people from the culture. Some of them understood the problems of Russia and its totalitarian system, and suffered from it. I understand that in Russia it is very dangerous now to talk about the war because you risk 15 years in prison. But I have not received an email or message from these people I knew to show me some support or pity for what is happening. For me it is very significant. I understand that you can’t speak in public, but at least a private message to tell me that this is a tragedy? No one. For me, this idea of a Russian cultural elite actually suffering from the regime is not true. Almost everyone is silent, and many support him. Many people from the Russian Writers Association support Putin, they even sign letters of support. Some have signed letters against the war, but they are not the majority.
www.elperiodico.com
Eddie is an Australian news reporter with over 9 years in the industry and has published on Forbes and tech crunch.