I recently visited Ukraine (from March 24 to 27), for the fourth time since February 2022 and the beginning of the full-scale Russian aggression against this fascinating and tragic country. This time, however, unlike all the previous visits, I stayed in Uzhhorod, the westernmost and simultaneously the calmest Ukrainian city, located at the tri-border point with Hungary and Slovakia. Unlike all the previous trips, when, on behalf of the KROKODIL Association, Milan Adnađ, Andriy Lyubka, and I carried and distributed humanitarian aid to cities and towns in the east and south of the country, such as Kharkiv, Bliznyuki, and Kherson, traveling thousands of kilometers across the endless Ukrainian expanses, and when our primary ambition was to reach the citizens threatened by intense combat operations as quickly as possible— which, of course, implied several days of driving with occasional stops at gas stations, living on hot dogs and endless amounts of takeaway coffee, and sleeping in cheap motels or car seats, with frequent siren sounds announcing airstrikes and terrifying encounters with places like Borodyanka or Bucha, completely devastated by military actions—this time we had the opportunity to stay in the peaceful, war-unaffected Uzhhorod. This finally allowed us to see and get to know some of this city from which we had set off each time for our gigantic humanitarian epics, but also to truly feel the atmosphere that prevails in Ukrainian society after the sharp geopolitical shock caused by the rise of Donald Trump to power in the U.S., and his brutal team composed of Big Tech oligarchs and American ultra-rightists, as well as the openly declared alignment of the only Western superpower with Russia and its imperialist intentions.

We traveled to Uzhhorod this time to hold the second meeting of the Serbian-Ukrainian CSO Forum, which we called LIBERTE EGALITE SOLIDARITE. With us was a group of representatives of non-governmental organizations from Serbia, who will spend two days meeting with representatives of Ukrainian non-governmental organizations, primarily those dealing with rule of law, transitional justice, post-conflict issues, minority issues, and other similar topics and experiences we share, in order to actively work on establishing closer cooperation between the civil sectors of the two countries. As we had assumed, and in fact, had already had the chance to see during the first meeting within this forum, which took place in December last year at Palić, this Uzhhorod meeting also took place in a phenomenal atmosphere. In two days of meetings, many phenomenal contacts were made and a bunch of great ideas for joint activities were presented that, once launched and implemented, could certainly, and should, contribute to further rapprochement between these two societies, which have been mutually alienated through skillful propaganda manipulation.

We used the little free time we had at our disposal to explore the city. The arrival of spring in Uzhhorod literally coincided with our short stay there, so we enjoyed long walks, running along the Uzh River, observing beautiful people in the pedestrian zone in the city center, and enjoying coffee and pastries in pleasant cafés. Of course, we didn’t miss visiting the Calvary, the cemetery where all the residents of Uzhhorod who gave their lives in the ongoing war for freedom are buried, as well as some of the main cultural and historical landmarks of the city, absorbing the atmosphere of Uzhhorod in every possible way. This city successfully conveys what reality elsewhere in Ukraine could be like if only the country and its society were allowed to freely develop according to their own intentions and visions for the future, just like any other sovereign country.

Unfortunately, we know very well that this is not the case.

Our visit also coincided with the performance of Serhiy Zhadan in the former Uzhhorod synagogue. We distributed humanitarian aid in Kharkiv with Serhiy in 2022, and this time we had the opportunity to see him in action as the most prominent Ukrainian poet of today and a living symbol of the prolonged struggle for freedom. In a packed hall of 500 seats (tickets priced at 15 euros sold out literally within a few hours through online sales), he performed with his characteristic combination of defensive fervor, poetic complexity, and humanitarian activism, while the audience greeted every word he spoke as a prophecy or a balm for the painfully raw wound that refuses to heal. I haven’t witnessed such power in poetry and poets in a long time—or perhaps it would be more accurate to say: never. It’s worth noting for those who may not know that Serhiy does not fit the image of a national poet in the Balkan model—he is in tune with the time in which he lives, often performing with his punk band, and in various ways embodies the Ukrainians’ tendency toward modernity, which seems always to slip through their fingers due to the forces stronger than them that constantly collide above their heads and beyond their reach.

And just one more thing: we will soon announce the fourth round of humanitarian aid collection. This time, we will be collecting funds and items for an educational institution in the city of Gluhiv on the Esman River in the Sumy region. I sincerely hope that the citizens will once again respond to our call to donate for the unfortunate Ukrainian people in war-affected areas and that we will soon be able to embark on another long journey through this phenomenal country, which in the meantime we have endlessly and forever fallen in love with.

Written by Vladimir Arsenijević