Ukrainians are coping stoically with Russian aggression
But Vladimir Putin’s gas diplomacy terrifies them
AS AN ICY wind rattles the windows of his office, Sergei Shapkin dips a biscuit in honey and ponders the art of survival. He is the mayor of Pavlopil, a village in eastern Ukraine. When Vladimir Putin started grabbing Ukrainian territory in February 2014, Mr Shapkin knew his village was in danger. On one side were pro-Russian separatists, armed by the Kremlin. On the other were loyalist forces. If they fought over Pavlopil, villagers would die.
This article appeared in the Europe section of the print edition under the headline “Winter is coming”
Europe October 23rd 2021
- Ukrainians are coping stoically with Russian aggression
- A small-town mayor takes on Hungary’s prime minister, Viktor Orban
- Isabel Díaz Ayuso, the new hope of Spain’s right
- Olaf Scholz’s “traffic-light” coalition is taking shape
- Europe is in a muddle over ritual slaughter
- In the EU, every leader becomes a monarch
From the October 23rd 2021 edition
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