In 1999, as a journalist working for this newspaper, I flew into Ukraine for a short trip to report on the situation there. In the throes of a financial crisis, soaring inflation had rendered their currency worthless, eight years after they had voted overwhelmingly for independence from the Soviet Union. I landed in Kyiv and made a beeline for the eerie UNESCO World Heritage site of Pechersk Lavra, a vast monastic network of catacombs, where mummified monks have been laid to rest since the 11th century. In the coming days, it is not inconceivable that its 69 acres of holy ground will become a hiding place for some of Kyiv’s 2.8 million civilians. I can still recall the damp, fetid air and claustrophobia — matched by the awe I felt at its history.
