Despite being defensive and constantly under bombardment by Russian missiles, Ukraine’s situation could have been graver, points out Ukrainian journalist Illia Ponomarenko in his account, “I Will Show You How It Was”. This book provides an intense depiction of the first moments of Russia’s full-fledged invasion as experienced in Kyiv, a metropolis once encircled by foes and seen by certain western leaders as destined to fall swiftly.
When Russian leader Vladimir Putin deployed an enormous number of troops, tanks, missiles, and aircraft into Ukraine on 24th February 2022, the prevailing global assumption was that the pro-western nation would give in to the pressure and that Kyiv would collapse within days or weeks.
In his recounting, Ponomarenko describes how Ukraine’s capital managed to withstand, blending battlefront reports as they advanced through Bucha and other suburbs of Kyiv with the tale of how young journalists founded a new English-based publication, the Kyiv Independent, and managed to thrive amidst war. His narration serves as a homage to journalism, to Ukraine, and above all, Kyiv as it repulses the enemy extensions.
“I Will Show You How It Was” serves as a poignant reminder of the potentially worse situation Ukraine could have found itself in.
He encapsulates the strange inconsistency during the pre-war time as the Kremlin fabricated outrageous falsifications about Ukraine’s so-called “genocide” against Russian-speaking citizens in the east. While the United States warned of a looming catastrophic invasion, Kyiv maintained an illusion of normalcy until the initial missiles hit.
The wartime atmosphere of the city was eerily quiet: a major European city silenced and vacated, except for checkpoints and armed volunteers, the shriek of air-raid alarms, the dull rumble of faraway bombardments, and sporadic gunfire.
In key conflicts over areas such as Hostomel and Irpin, Russia was forced to withdraw, marking what could potentially be a turning point in the war. Local reporters found it challenging to comprehend that these common suburban roads had become the central ground for the severest combat Europe has witnessed in eight decades.
Ponomarenko ensured the security of his family and then travelled back to chronicle Kyiv’s extraordinary endurance, a choice he refers to as “the greatest decision of my lifetime”. The resulting publication is a profoundly personal contribution to the vast array of literature on the conflict.