“I only cry alone” – Selenskyj adviser expects depressed population after war ends “Twitter Files”: This would be behind Twitter censorship of Hunter Biden story

What 300 days of war feels like may be unimaginable to many. About 36 million Ukrainians, who will find themselves in exactly this situation on December 20, will soon know about it. According to the UN, an additional 7.7 million people have fled the country since the Russian invasion.

But the majority of Ukrainians will endure ten months in their homeland as it suffers rocket attacks and ensuing power and water outages. Yet life continues for the population, albeit to a very limited extent.

“Daily life in times of war feels like being transported back to the last century,” Tymofiy Mylovanov, a former Ukrainian economy minister and adviser to Zelenskyi, told Watson. On his way to work in Kiev, the Ukrainian takes the time to talk on the phone about the situation in his homeland.

Mylovanov is president of the Kiev School of Economics with more than 5,000 students and an associate professor at the American University of Pittsburgh, where he taught until four days before the outbreak of war. The professor then decided to travel back to Ukraine on one of the last planes. “I just knew the university needed me during this time,” he says.

melting snow

As he himself says, he has been living in the last century since February 2022. One of the main reasons for this is the almost daily power outages of several hours. What Western Europe has been fearing for months is a daily occurrence in Ukraine: power outages. “You live for days in a cold apartment, with no light and no water – not even the toilet,” says Mylovanov, who regularly reports on wartime life on Twitter.

Fortunately, the government would supply large swathes of the population with electricity for an hour or two almost every day – if Russia weren’t firing missiles. During this time, you can, for example, heat up some water to distribute it in large bowls throughout the apartment. “It creates heat,” he says.

But the water comes and goes just like the river. Many Ukrainians would therefore collect and melt snow.

“Anyone who has a camping stove is also an advantage,” he says. Or even better: a generator to have electricity for the most necessary things in case of a power failure.

Mylovanov believes that this is the most valuable asset for the coming winter. He hopes that more aggregators will come from abroad.

Basic care difficult

Preparing and thinking ahead is the starting point in everyday wartime: “It is important to have cash reserves.” Due to power cuts, it is often no longer possible to pay with a debit card. However, the problem is that ATMs in the cities are often overloaded and empty.

It is possible to bridge a day or two without electricity and water. But as soon as it takes longer, basic care becomes difficult. “It feels like survival,” says Mylovanov.

The rural population has fewer problems with water and electricity. “Living in small villages has its advantages and disadvantages,” he says.

On a positive note, these have wood-burning stoves and are therefore not dependent on electricity for heating. In addition, there is often a river or a clean water source such as a drinking fountain nearby. However, it is becoming increasingly difficult to get medical care far away from large cities. “All in all, it is easier to survive in many villages,” he says.

However, since Mylovanov is in Kiev, he often faces completely different challenges, for example, taking care of the students at school. Accommodation is paid for, food is provided and internet access is guaranteed.

“The lectures take place every day, if necessary in the bunker,” he says. This works fine. It takes seven minutes to fit the entire college into the bomb shelters.

Traumatized and depressed

The students would be grateful if they were helped to feel ‘normal’ in times of war. For Mylovanov it is clear: “Our young adults are role models. They are full of energy and hope for the life that awaits them – despite the circumstances.”

He himself sometimes finds it difficult to remain optimistic – but he doesn’t show that to the students. “I only cry when I’m alone,” he says. During the war he lost a number of people close to him. But right now he doesn’t have time to think about it.

“After the war I will be traumatized and depressed,” says Mylovanov matter-of-factly. In recent months he has lost his sense of danger. “When you stop caring about hearing bombs falling nearby, that’s when the mental problems begin.”

He was convinced that many in Ukraine would suffer depression once they were liberated from Russia. Only then comes the emotional reappraisal, which will last for decades. “My plan is to go far away for a while after the war. Into nature. Get away from it all,” he says.

But first it’s about winning the war against Russia. Mylovanov says: «We have been a region of Russia again and again for 300 years. Freeing ourselves now may be our last chance.” To achieve this goal, the Ukrainians will soon have to endure 300 days of war – and the end is nowhere in sight.