@timkmak@journa.host
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timkmak

@timkmak@journa.host

Founder, The Counteroffensive. Based in Kyiv, trying to tell the news of the war through compelling, human interest stories. Read us at https://www.counteroffensive.news/

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timkmak, to random
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Good morning to readers; Kyiv remains in Ukrainian hands.

With Rus-Ukr relations destroyed, there's one last group that negotiates with the enemy:

The Coordinating Headquarters, which relatives of POWs also call to get info on their loved ones...

Today, we take you inside.

timkmak,
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One woman whose husband was in captivity attended a exchange.

“There was a Ukrainian who was given a chocolate bar…I watched him unwrap it, hold it to his face, close his eyes and slowly breathe in the smell,” she said quietly. “It still gives me goosebumps."

timkmak,
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At the time, her husband was still in captivity, but after a few months she received a call from the Coordinating Headquarters, the governmental body responsible for issues relating to She was told that he had been returned.

But not all have been so lucky.

timkmak,
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Many wives of #POWs have no idea when or if ever her husband will be returned. The inner workings of the negotiations with #Russia over prisoner swaps are almost impossible to understand or predict – even to the negotiators.

timkmak,
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“Their [the Russian] policy is not to support us, not to give us any clear information,” says Petro, the spokesperson for the Coordinating Headquarters. The Counteroffensive spoke to Konstantinas, who specializes in hostage negotiations and trained Ukrainian POW negotiators.

timkmak,
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#Russia deliberately delays the negotiations, he explains.

Russia "knows #Ukraine has a manpower shortage...and a good percentage of #POWs will go back into the fight.”

So when the negotiators finally sit face to face, it’s crucial for them to play their cards right.

timkmak,
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Konstantinas told The Counteroffensive about how the negotiators have to prepare but he also said that more than anything the character of the person negotiating is the most important thing:
“You have to have a healthy mind, otherwise you won’t be able to do the job.

timkmak,
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To read the full issue and learn about how Ukrainian POW negotiators are trained and prepare for negotiations click on the link in our bio!

timkmak,
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NEWS OF THE DAY:

A Ukrainian settlement has been lost to Russian control, according to a Ukr special forces unit. Dozens of square miles have now been seized by Rus forces, the NYT reports and more than 4,000 are trying to evacuate from the region and avoid the combat.

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/11/world/europe/ukraine-russia-kharkiv.html

timkmak,
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KREMLIN CLAIMS NINE VILLAGES CAPTURED: The Russian government – known to lie – has named a number of villages that it said it had now captured, along the Ukraine-Russia border in the Kharkiv region, according to The Telegraph.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2024/05/12/russia-ukraine-zelensky-putin-war-latest-news-kharkiv/

timkmak,
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500 CIVILIANS REMAIN BEHIND… In the flashpoint of fighting, around 500 noncombatants are still in the village, the region’s governor announced. “Vovchansk, Liptsi and all points of the northern border are under enemy fire almost 24 hours a day,” the governor said.

timkmak,
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#Grainexports through the sea have bounced back to near pre-invasion levels, which indicates that #Ukraine has been able to secure safe passage for civilian ships. In just the past six months Ukraine has been able to ship 27.6 million metric tons of grain to foreign partners.

timkmak,
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Some in the #German parliament say they should deploy #NATO air defense on the borders of countries which border #ukraine to cover Ukraine's western areas. This follows a number of #Western countries intercepting missiles bound for Israel earlier in the year.

timkmak,
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Would you like to know more?

Don't miss our next issue, and catch up on previous ones through the link!

Thank you for following along!

https://counteroffensive.substack.com

timkmak,
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REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK:

If you are reading this on Sunday, I am about to go to my eighth driving test.

Completing the test itself isn’t difficult – it consists of 40 minutes of driving with some parking and some driving maneuvers, but the reasons you can fail the test are endless.

timkmak,
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To put it mildly, I have had a streak of bad luck with my driving tests.

My first test was canceled, I couldn’t take my third test because my tires were worn, and for my fifth test, I left my license at home as I was leaving the house — although that is arguably not bad luck.

timkmak,
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I will admit that I don’t really have any excuse for not passing the second, fourth, sixth or seventh times I took it – apart from the fact I am just not very good at driving.

But that’s not from a lack of effort.

I started taking lessons last year and became obsessed with passing. But I learnt you really can’t rush learning to drive, after my test was cut short after 15 minutes, because I was, according to my examiner, “a threat to public safety.”

timkmak,
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From January to June last year I lived at home in the and took driving lessons constantly in the hopes that I would be able to move to Ukraine with a license.

But after my 6th attempt, I needed a break and went to Ukraine without a license.

I got some driving practice in to help with my friend's charity KHARPP that does some of the most effective work I have seen repairing homes and giving necessary to villages in the Kharkiv region only a few km from the border.

timkmak,
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But driving in Kharkiv is pretty different.

The potholes caused by explosions and in some parts active fighting mean that drivers are constantly swerving. By the time you get back to driving in Kyiv or elsewhere, you’ve forgotten to keep checking the rearview mirror.

timkmak,
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Driving at night in is even more of a nightmare.

There are barely any road markings and many of the road signs were torn down to confuse the advancing into Kharkiv in 2022. The GPS doesn't work because the forces spoof the

There are also constant power cuts which mean that, in the winter, you find yourself driving in complete darkness after 3pm.

And the other problem is land mines.

timkmak,
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The actual road is usually safe, but with Ukraine now having more landmines than any country in the world, pulling over is not always a safe option. You are frequently told if you need to stop – stay on the tarmac.

Strewn around Kharkiv, in the third year of this war, there are blown up, rusted cars along the side of the road, eerie reminders of what might be hidden under the earth.

timkmak,
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But for now I am still driving along Cambridge’s picturesque winding country roads in my mom's car and trying to understand what went wrong with my forward park in the supermarket parking lot…

I have been in the UK for the last few weeks preparing for Monday 13th April 7.03 am when I will be making my eighth and hopefully last attempt to pass my driving test.

Wish me luck!

timkmak,
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A good luck gift I got from The Counteroffensive in the mail!

timkmak,
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DOG OF WAR: Alessandra spotted this pup on her favorite street in Kyiv called Andreevskiy Descent.

Stay safe out there.

Best,
Alessandra

timkmak, to random
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Here's what we are reading today:

Over 1,700 residents were evacuated from the region, after Russia's offensive. Yesterday advanced 1 km into Vovchansk.

This comes as part of a recent push by Russia to gain ground before aid arrives in

https://kyivindependent.com/over-1-700-civilians-evacuated-from-kharkiv-oblast/

timkmak,
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Supporting our team’s reporting is as easy as one click (did we mention it’s also free?)

Follow along with The Counteroffensive through the link!

https://counteroffensive.substack.com

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