“I have just bought my first gun in downtown Lviv,” begins Ukranian writer and war crimes researcher Victoria Amelina’s book, on February 17, 2022. “I’ve heard that everyone is capable of killing and those who say they aren’t just haven’t met the right person yet. An armed stranger entering my country might just be ‘the right person’.”
A week later, on February 24, Russia invaded Ukraine. The following July, Amelina died from injuries sustained in a Russian missile strike on a pizza restaurant in Kramatorsk, eastern Ukraine.
Yet the war she bore witness to continues, with no ceasefire in sight. This week, Russia attacked the Ukranian capital Kiev with missiles and drones, killing at least 16 people. The European Union has launched a new package of sanctions, against Russia, saying its daily drone attacks show it is not interested in peace.
