Ukraine

I visited Kiev twice in 2012. Precisely, July and September. During my second visit to Kiev, the Paralympic Games were taking place in another distant city: London. Watching one of the finals of a swimming competition from my hotel room in Kiev, I was touched by the 14-year-old Ukrainian swimmer Victoria Satsova when she won the gold medal. In fact, I even wrote a little article on that entitled “Viktoriia Savtsova – An Example of Greatness“. Back in those days, Ukraine seemed to be a country with a great future ahead. However, hardly a year and a half later, it seems that this country is at the edge of a Civil War cliff. And I really hope such a war never happens. In honor and solidarity to the Ukrainian people and some of my friends there, regardless of their political creeds, I would like to convey the following message:

Victoria Satsova’s disability did not prevent her from overcoming difficulties, winning a gold medal and setting up an example of human greatness. I hope that the battered situation which the Ukrianians are going through right now will not prevent them from overcoming all the difficulties, winning their golden future and setting up an example of human greatness.

In these moments, I would like to repeat the words with which Benjamin Britten concluded the Agnus Dei of his War Requiem: Dona nobis pacem (Give us peace):