Tim MakDec 17, 2022
Good morning to readers. Hello from Ukraine.
Kyiv remains in Ukrainian hands, but a barrage of missile strikes plunged much of the city into darkness over the last twenty four hours.
Forecast calls for a low of 24 degrees F in the capital tonight.
Show threadTim MakDec 17, 2022
The Ukrainian government said that it shot down 60/72 missiles.
10/24 regions reported blasts.
But three strikes occurred in Kyiv, leading the mayor to warn about the city's water, power and internet supplies.
https://t.co/pBb7BajKsW
Russia launches new wave of air attacks across Ukraine

Regional military administrators across the country say Russia launched more than 70 missiles targeting at least 10 of Ukraine's 24 regions.

NPR
Show threadTim MakDec 17, 2022
Last evening it was raining/snowing in Kyiv as gridlock paralyzed the city.
Buses were packed and traffic was heavy as many traffic lights did not work and the metro was hindered by power issues.
Continued uncertainty about whether power and heat will hold out
Show threadTim Mak
I came back into the country by crossing the Polish border, and you can very easily see the difference in the condition of the roads.
Here's the Polish side...
Dec 17, 2022 at 3:14pmWeb
Show threadTim MakDec 17, 2022
And these are the roads on the Ukrainian side, heading into Lviv
Show threadTim MakDec 17, 2022
I had dinner in Lviv with my friend Taras, who has trying to look at the bright side of the power outages.
He noticed his children are much calmer due to the blackouts killing their electronic devices and internet access… doing their homework under candlelight.
The power outages have brought a weird serenity to his children, he said.
Of course there are much larger downsides… but this is a strange upside.
Show threadTim MakDec 17, 2022
How do you know when air strikes are incoming when you have no power?
I saw for the first time the mobile air alarm siren, which drives through neighborhoods to tell those without electricity to take shelter
Show threadTim MakDec 17, 2022
What does Lviv look like now?
At night it is much darker than I remember, with street lights off.
But during the day there is a lot of activity and bustling streets
Show threadTim MakDec 17, 2022

When I was in Lviv there were scheduled, cycling power outages.

This is what that looks like, from a restaurant in the city, when the power abruptly goes out.

Show threadTim MakDec 17, 2022

We took the train from Lviv into Kyiv.

Interesting fact: every inch of steel for the railway tracks in Ukraine was manufactured in Azovstal, the famous steel plant where Ukrainian forces held out in Mariupol.

Show threadTim MakDec 17, 2022

Lights off in the railway station as you arrive in Kyiv.

This is the darkness that greets you:

Show threadTim MakDec 17, 2022
And as you drive through the city you realize that much of the city — particularly after yesterday’s strikes — is without power.
Show threadTim MakDec 17, 2022

Met with a source shortly after the missiles came into Kyiv (and much of the rest of the country).

“Don’t worry about the missiles,” he joked, “we are covered by these here.”

He pointed to a model on the table, grinning.

Show threadTim MakDec 17, 2022

I’ll be in Ukraine through the holidays and hope to give you a little slice of how Christmas and New Years is observed in a time of war.

I’m sure there will be some shivering but I’ve also already tracked down a small bowl of pho

Show threadTim MakDec 17, 2022

I joke to my friends that I can find pho anywhere in the world, regardless of the location.

The hardest time was in 2015 in the Horn of Africa.

But I found pho at a place in Djibouti City, at a restaurant that had been bombed by Al Shabaab called La Chaumiere

Show threadTim MakDec 17, 2022

Today’s dog of war is Ray, a very protective dog hanging out with friends outside a church where we were talking with religious scholars about how Ukrainians mark Christmas

More to come.

Hope you’re all having a nice day!

Show threadSteffani CameronDec 17, 2022
@timkmak he protekking good like a good boy, judging by the barky-barks.
Show threadDerek van VlietDec 17, 2022
@timkmak it’s great to see you here and thanks for bringing #DogOfWar to mastodon! I wonder if we could get that hashtag going and have other people contribute theirs?
Show threadAryasBFFDec 17, 2022
@timkmak 😍 😍 😍
Show threadpatrickrhettDec 17, 2022
@timkmak Thanks for the work you put into these updates, and thanks for continuing them over here.
Show threadOwlDec 17, 2022
@timkmak Rowlf, dog of war
Show threadEmDec 17, 2022
@timkmak aww hi Ray! Hope you’re having a nice day, Tim. #SlavaUkraini
Show threadEmDec 17, 2022
@timkmak Tim, just a note to say your photos and videos look really good here! Load and scroll easily, and high quality. Thank you for your work.
Show threadEllenInEdmonton Dec 17, 2022
@timkmak Agreed that phở is everywhere! Such a massive diaspora from 1975 onwards.
Show thread@Lee_in_IowaDec 17, 2022
@timkmak We even have pho for you in Des Moines, Iowa now!
Show threadElizabeth RyneckiDec 17, 2022
@timkmak safe travels! I'm grateful to read your posts. Thank you for actively posting of your journey on Mastodon.
Show thread12foxfireDec 17, 2022
@timkmak Following. Stay safe.
Show threadReciprocity D'PartureDec 17, 2022
@timkmak where are they getting fresh cilantro?
Show threadAndy LowryDec 17, 2022
@timkmak
Looking forward to it. Hope the trip goes well.
Show threadAndrew C.A. ElliottDec 17, 2022

@timkmak
Thank you for this reporting, and for bringing it to Mastodon.

I assure you, it is much appreciated.

Show threadNick from TorontoDec 17, 2022
@timkmak Haha, this thing is pretty cute.
Show thread@energiepiratDec 17, 2022
@timkmak Hi Tim, nice to see you here on fediverse. I hope many journos an governmental departments from everywhere will follow.
Show threadeddielarueDec 17, 2022
@timkmak Thank you for your reports. Ukraine is in all our hearts.
Show threadSilversaltyDec 17, 2022
@timkmak
Candles, a standard restaurant item, must be in short supply.
Show threadAllan ChowDec 17, 2022
@timkmak have there been anything like community firewood kilns to help each other weather the cold
Show threadKA SemenovaDec 17, 2022

@timkmak

I get this. I was w/o power for 5 days once, after a hurricane, & realized we have little idea of how much a century of electrification has changed us. I went to bed earlier, got up earlier, & oddly began to know what time it was by the light, not a clock or tv show coming on. I wrote or read at night by candlelight. We did live that way for hundreds of years.

If only it weren’t winter in Ukraine rn. Cold means suffering & it is so difficult to jerryrig in modern homes.