“The Fight Is Here”

“The fight is here. I need ammunition, not a ride”

~ Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky

Zhytomyr, Ukraine
10/24/2013

During our 2nd trip to Ukraine in 2012, we decided to take a day trip the old city of Zhytomyr, situated 84 miles from Kyiv in Western Ukraine. Zhytomyr lies along the Teteriv River is believed to date from the 9th century, but the first record is from 1240, when it was sacked by the Tatars. Zhytomyr has many interesting landmarks & is the home of Ukraine’s only Museum of Astronautics.

Getting to Zhytomyr was no easy feat. Bus service is the best way to get there, but travel to a remote area of Ukraine & not speaking the language was an adventure. When we arrived at the bus station in Zhytomyr our first task was to find out what time the buses returned to Kyiv….and we found no one who could speak any English in the station. We met a young girl selling Avon products from a small table outside the station. She was able to speak a tiny bit of English & was able to help us make sure we caught the right bus back to Kyiv later that afternoon.

(Zhytomyr has been hard-hit recently by Russian shelling & missiles. Civilian areas were hit & many have died during the attacks.)