Calling Ukraine

A Skype conversation really brings home the daily struggles of a family living in war-torn eastern Ukraine. An elderly woman in Latvia calls her sister and daughter, who are trying to live normal lives while bombs explode in the background and electricity is becoming an increasingly scarce commodity. The video conversation is intercut with recent footage of residential areas that have been shot to pieces, and photos from a family album that speak of better times and crushed dreams. The sisters share memories of the Christmas cards they sent to one another in the Soviet era. “We wished each other happiness, love and a peaceful sky over our heads. Those words sounded so trivial then, now we’re really beginning to understand their meaning. Having a peaceful sky over your head is so important.” This is the kind of detail that makes war almost tangible. The sister talks about dogs whining so loudly that they start howling, about the paycheck from which “army tax” has been deducted, about grandchildren with nightmares that should be beyond their years, and about a rocket passing overhead while she's on her way to work. The agitated voice of the woman in Ukraine betrays her constant anxiety; her sister on the other end of the line is visibly powerless as she looks for words among the growing despair – a despair that touches us as well.