598 day of war

Hello, friends!

Over the past week, we've had almost no air raid sirens and rocket attacks. This is already a clear sign that we should expect them immediately after the first frosts and mass attacks on the energy infrastructure and daily power outages. While the Russians' tactics may not be working as effectively as they would like, it still creates additional problems and complicates life, and it does have a psychological impact on the population. Even now, when everything seems fine, there's a sense that we'll soon be sitting in the dark and cold, waiting for the power to come back on, just like last year.

The constant tension and anticipation of things getting worse are what everyone around here is living with, and everyone is doing their best to cope. Nowadays, I often see people buying a lot of alcoholic beverages in stores, even when I go out in the morning to feed my cats. There are already people coming out of the store with a bottle of vodka at 7-8 in the morning. This was happening before, of course, but it seems to me that many people are resorting to alcohol or something else as a way to cope, and there are also many new liquor stores popping up. Something similar was happening in Mariupol before the war, where most of the population worked at the factory, and having a drink after a shift was a common practice. You could literally find an alcohol store every 50 meters on the streets. It's really sad that the same is happening in western Ukraine now, as it will only worsen the social situation because people are drinking on the streets and not always behaving rationally. It's also destructive for the individuals themselves since alcohol won't help them solve their problems but will only add new ones.

I tried drinking alcohol when I was in university, but it seemed to affect me differently than my classmates. I would just get a headache, so I eventually gave it up. Although I felt more sociable.
For the last five years, I haven't had any alcoholic drinks at all, and no matter how tough it gets, I understand that it's not a way out. If you can't handle life sober, you certainly won't do better when drunk.

Of course, I don't judge people for their habits, but I'm a bit concerned about where this might lead because a lot of alcohol consumption in the streets can worsen the societal situation, and it's destructive for the individuals as well.

Right now, the Russians have launched an offensive in the eastern part of the front, the largest offensive in the past year of the war. Over a thousand fighters, with the support of tanks, artillery, and aviation, are advancing on a city with an area of 30 square kilometers. The city is being bombarded with phosphorus bombs, burning everything around. I can't imagine the efforts our military is making to hold back this offensive; it must be an incredibly difficult task. We believe they can withstand and survive this ordeal. Even though winter is approaching, the fighting shows no sign of letting up, and all we can do is hope that everything will be fine.

To distract ourselves I spend most of my time dyeing T-shirts, coming up with new thematic designs for holidays. Currently, I'm working on several Halloween-themed t-shirt and socks. And while there are still warm days outside, I ride my bike to the rivers. For some reason, I feel a strong connection to the water. When I lived in Mariupol, I didn't think the sea outside my window meant much, but now there's a sense of longing for the water.
Even though it's mentally challenging right now, I believe that if I learn to cope in such stressful situations, I'll be so emotionally resilient that I can handle anything when it's all over.

Thank you all for your support and thank you for the help on BuyMeACoffee. Lately, our main source of income is through handmade crafts, and I'm truly grateful for your assistance; it really helps us survive during these times