Ukraine's Carol of the Bells
How Ukrainian Christmas Rituals Give Power Amid Darkness
Like Shabbat, Ukrainian Christmas rituals keep people going in darkness, as life in war gets more difficult.
REPORTING FROM UKRAINE, as told on Chicago’s WGN Radio
Real talk in war-time: my daily reports from Ukraine on Chicago’s @wgnradio with Bob Sirott
The Schedryk carol, known as the Carol of the Bells: singing against the darkness.
Ukrainian Christmas is rare even in Europe, in the way they cling to their traditions
See the NATO soldiers singing the Carol in the Latvian forest just across the border from Russia: in the video above and also here.
Ukrainian Christmas rituals: ‘There’s no time for arguing. Every five minutes there’s a song. It’s kinda like a Shabbat dinner.
These are damn difficult days and yet also a time of clarity and strength: “I hate it and at the same time I cannot imagine life without it,” said a Polish friend about the war.
And then WGN host Bob Sirott asked me a difficult question: “How is it for you?” Why am I here, indeed? I had to pause for a bit. I would feel guilty if I popped out of here for awhile.
and because of everything I ran away from in corporate media, I think I am meant to be here to share the reality.
—Joe Lindsley
Here’s the video story on Chicago’s WGN Radio.
Daily Ukraine Situation Summary: Partisan Activity? Occupying Authorities Burned Alive in Car
Plus: More is Revealed About Bucha Atrocities
by Pavlo Vitenko
KHERSON REGION
Russian troops continue mortar and artillery shelling of civilian infrastructure along the right bank of the Dnipro River. According to the information of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the areas of the settlements of Novodmytrivka, Kachkarivka, Inzhenerne, Lvove and Kherson were damaged by fire. Russian invaders are constantly attacking the Ostriv microdistrict in Kherson. This neighborhood is a zone of increased danger.
Electricity and gas pipelines were damaged in Stanislav due to the impact of Russian artillery. A man is injured, he is being treated. 10 houses of local residents were damaged. In general, two people were wounded and 1 person died in Kherson Oblast last day due to Russian shelling.
Work continues to restore normal life to the liberated Kherson region. Also yesterday in the temporarily occupied Kakhovka, the head of the occupying "Lyubymivka village administration" Andrii Shtepa, along with the driver, were burned alive in an official car as a result of an explosion.
Read more of our region-by-region summary here.
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"Joseph Lindsley's reports are enlightening, frightening, heart-wrenchingly and poetically descriptive." —a regular listener to the daily report from Ukraine on Chicago's WGN Radio with Bob Sirott
American journalist Joe Lindsley, in Ukraine since 2020, leads the Ukrainian Freedom News team of Ukrainians and foreigners on a mission to share real talk and real life in war-time with the world. Every weekday since late February 2022, he has reported live from Ukraine on Chicago’s WGN Radio with host Bob Sirott. You can listen to all episodes at UkrainianFreedomNews.com or via our YouTube channel.
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UKRAINIAN FREEDOM NEWS
Truth to the World | Supplies to Ukraine
Joe Lindsley, Editor-in-chief
Pavlo Vitenko, Chief Reporter
Anton Hutyriak, Associate Editor
Jean-Baptiste Besson, Hot-Spot Editor
Beata Szrom, Operations Director