Perfection knows no bounds. #dachshund #talent #guitar

Mr.5 has grown up, but he’s nothing like his father—or like Qashqai was. He’s about a third smaller than Kiwi, but he’s a compact, stocky little powerhouse, with a solid frame—far less delicate than my other dogs’—and powerful little paws. Though “little” is definitely the key word here. He has a secret nickname: Squeaky. He’s always making little squeaking noises. He won’t sit still—he always needs to run somewhere and see something new. On a leash, he’s such a good boy. Very obedient and attentive. After staying with someone else while I was in hospital, he stopped being afraid to leave my side when I let him off the leash. Now I can barely get him to come back to me. He races around, while Kiwi is almost always calm and even-tempered. And then there’s his favourite shrimp pose: once you’ve caught him and try to put his leash back on, he flops onto his side and gives you a very sly look from under his brows. You know what I mean 👀

I can’t even remember the last time I watched a movie. Every day here is a new episode—you barely have time to pause in awe of the beauty of the moment, of how the city is changing despite the war, of the wonderful people around you, while also taking in the full horror of what’s happening all around.

A drone struck one of just two houses standing in an open field, killing two people. Acquaintances of mine live in the other house. They have a dachshund too. Thankfully, they weren’t hurt. Beside the field is a whole neighbourhood of houses, including my summer house. The two houses in the field are just four streets from mine — less than half a kilometre away. The blast blew open the windows in my house, even though they had been shut. The field is just across the dam from the lake — the same dam where we go for walks with our dogs. There are no military facilities nearby.

Kyiv is in the dark. Here in central Kyiv, we’ve been without electricity since 11 am. Our power banks are still charged. Outside, the air is filled with the hum of generators. Every day, bombs and drones strike Ukraine. Every day, people are killed. We don’t know what this winter will be like. Today, Trump announced an “energy ceasefire”. After that announcement, Russia struck Kharkiv’s CHP-5 power plant. Meanwhile, the Financial Times reports that his administration is threatening to block weapons supplies and cut off intelligence sharing unless Ukraine stops striking Russian oil refineries. Some of us still believed that justice meant something. Watching Trump treat Putin with respect while Ukraine’s ability to defend itself becomes a bargaining chip makes that belief increasingly difficult to hold on to

Today, Russia reportedly used a jet-powered drone carrying a specialised warhead designed to destroy power pylons and steel bridge structures. Warnings point to possible attacks on critical power transmission lines. During air raids, we also lose phone signal, internet access becomes unreliable, and GPS navigation stops working. This is what daily life here looks like. But the worst part is that people are being killed, and we don’t know how cold the coming winter will be. Hospitals also suspend appointments during air raid alerts, preventing me from receiving the medical procedures I need. These delays take up so much time and make an already difficult situation even more stressful.

The Guardian calls Kyiv a frontline city. For those of us living here, that headline describes our daily lives: attacks day and night, work and sleep interrupted, and winter preparations that now include backup power and somewhere to go if staying becomes too difficult. theguardian.com/world/2026/s…

Friends, we’re OK. We visited my father’s house to sort out paperwork and a few other things, and also stayed at our own house outside Kyiv. A strike on a cell tower disrupted our connection. Another strike hit a house nearby in our garden community, killing two people. We’re back in Kyiv now. It’s frightening both here and outside the city. We’re considering evacuation within Ukraine, though not in the immediate future. The dogs are well, and my treatment is showing positive results. Thank you all for your support.

Kyiv

Love is Kyiv 🇺🇦 2026

The lives of two envoys were worth protecting. The lives of hundreds of thousands were not.