On this Day of Remembrance and Victory over Nazism in World War II, we honour millions of people whose lives were taken by this war, as well as those who defended the world from Nazism.
World War II became one of the most terrible tragedies in human history. Millions of Ukrainians served in various armies of the anti-Hitler coalition and took part in underground resistance, as our land became the site of major battles and immense human suffering. World War II took the lives of more than 8 million Ukrainians.
The year 1945 did not bring lasting peace to Ukraine – in another totalitarian regime, the Soviet Union, repression continued. Today, Ukraine is once again forced to defend its freedom and the security of all Europe against Russian aggression.
The memory of World War II should serve as a call for responsibility and determination to defend a just and lasting peace.
Our Embassy in Canberra is expanding. We’ve welcomed a new batch of cockatoos to the team — highly vocal, well connected, and never shy to make a statement. Natural diplomats 🇺🇦🇦🇺
Today we spent hours walking through Kherson almost to the Dnipro. Empty streets, a few people at bus stops, the familiar trembling silence of the historic center. Near the ruined city hall, a man was playing rhythms on the fence with drumsticks. Blooming trees created an illusion of safety.
I remembered Kherson in 2020 — heavy traffic, crowded cafés like Twin Peaks where it was impossible to find a free table.
I remembered Kherson in 2023, right after liberation, when we lived two streets from the river and I ran past the still-standing bridge between evacuation shifts.
Now it’s 2026. Last year on April 16 my favorite place, Kit na Dakhu, closed. I remember the date. Its neon sign, the cats, the hookah, the charismatic waiter — it was a refuge in the dark empty streets in 2023 and 2025.
I saw cafés reopen after liberation in 2023 — and close again in 2025 under drone attacks and emptiness. Those who keep working now earn my deepest respect. In this phase of the war, when motivation is rare, even a trolleybus driver fixing a fallen wire 1.5 km from the river gives strength.
Today my husband and I walked hand in hand through places where almost no one walks anymore, like fools. We imagined how quickly people would return, windows be replaced, and damaged facades restored once victory comes.
I walk these streets — and will keep walking them.
Because I want to stay with this city in its hardest time. 🇺🇦
The structural conclusion:
Georgian Dream will never lose an election it organizes.
Not because it commands majority support. Because it has engineered a system where losing is not a permitted outcome.
9/11
🇬🇪🇭🇺Viktor Orbán lost Hungary's election yesterday. For most Europeans, this is a relief. For Georgian Dream, it is a strategic catastrophe.
Their single most important protector in Europe is gone. Here's what that actually means.
1/6 @MakaB__