Tuesday, Mar 1, 2022 • 42min
In Ukraine, the Men Who Must Stay and Fight
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This episode contains strong language.
As the Russian assault has intensified, the government in Ukraine has enacted martial law, requiring men to stay in the country and either join the fight or face the prospect of conscription.
We tell the story of three of those men: Eugene, an I.T. worker from the northeastern city of Kharkiv; Tyhran, an animator who attempted to cross the border into Poland; and Andrew, who signed up for the territorial defense force two weeks ago.
Guests: Clare Toeniskoetter, a senior producer for The Daily; and Lynsea Garrison, a senior international producer for The Daily.
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Clare Toeniskoetter
Tyhran
Lynsea Garrison
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Transcript
Verified
Break
Tara Neitzey
00:36
Hello Clare.
Share
Clare Toeniskoetter
00:38
Hi!
Share
Tara Neitzey
00:39
Hi.
Share
Clare Toeniskoetter
00:39
Last Thursday I saw a story starting to play out on
Twitter
. This woman.Share
Tara Neitzey
00:45
Tara.
Share
Clare Toeniskoetter
00:45
Tara Neitzey, an American who had been living in
Kiev
but who happened to be staying outside the city at the time of the invasion. Was on an evacuation bus headed for the border with Poland
and she was basically documenting in real-time this situation that was playing out. So I called her and asked her to tell me the story.Share
Tara Neitzey
01:06
So literally Wednesday night I fell asleep and my phone is beeping at like 8:00 AM in the morning local time. And then all of a sudden I realized stuff was happening.
Share
01:18
Ukraine
under fire this morning.Share
01:22
The months long build-up of Russian troops on the border with
Ukraine
has turned now into an invasion.Share
01:28
Today
Russia
has launched its invasion of Ukraine
attacking from three sides.Share
Tara Neitzey
01:32
So I get up, I get a ticket to
Lviv,
and then from Lviv
I bought a bus ticket to go from here to Poland.
And the bus is kind of just like everyone, it's a really weird feeling, not a lot being said every once in a while whenever there was a data signal, you would hear phone's beeping and people like on the phone talking to family.Share
Clare Toeniskoetter
01:55
And roughly how many people are on the bus?
Share
Tara Neitzey
01:58
Oh it 's a full charter bus, I don't know how to count that. I guess if that 's you know it 's a two on two on each side and then I guess there's probably 20 rows.
Share
Clare Toeniskoetter
02:08
Yeh.
Share
Tara Neitzey
02:09
So they were just pretty much calm. No one was panicking, remember seeing one young couple with a young child, maybe a husband and a wife.
Share
Clare Toeniskoetter
02:19
OK.
Share
Tara Neitzey
02:20
And then as we start getting closer to the border and literally it looked like from there we were like three or four bus lines away from going through the Ukrainian security to exit and it's just not moving then like there's two guys, the driver and the attendant, the attendant gets on and he makes the announcement saying, "Men, Ukrainian men can't leave the country".
Share
02:51
So we're like "What? " You know, kind of what 's going on with just a light commotion and he 's just like we're trying to find out more information and so we're like okay just sitting there. So then he comes up again and says, "Ok well if you're with family we think can get across".
Share
03:09
And then the third announcement comes and this is the guy's tone that he was given the announcement completely changed. He says that basically any man in the Ukrainian man from 18 to 60, they can't leave
Ukraine
, it doesn't matter if you have family or anything, you can't go.Share
03:27
Ukraine
has banned all men between the ages of 18 and 60 from leaving the country. They're being told to stay and fight.Share
Tara Neitzey
03:38
And I remember the group of the single men were real close to me and I specifically remember and I'll have this face in my life forever. We caught eye contact because he was getting his phone and it wasn't fear.
Share
03:56
It wasn't hysteria, it was just numbness and I think everybody is just um I'll never forget that feeling because I know this he can't go and one woman, she's probably in her forties, she was crying and you know, her husband, he's telling her and she's the only at this point she's the only person crying on this bus and she's the only person who's crying on the bus the whole time.
Share
Clare Toeniskoetter
04:34
Wow.
Share
Tara Neitzey
04:34
So it stood out a lot because everyone else was just silence and they say their goodbyes and she's... she tries holding it together, she keeps apologizing to people around here like we don't, you know, but you know, she knew she had to go into
Poland
, she couldn't stay, but she didn't want to go, I mean she didn't... she didn't want to go, but and he leaves and then it just seemed like that walk was forever and he leaves and so she's still crying and then our best starts moving and look out and I see just all these guys with their bags and it was dark. It... It was terrible.Share
Michael Barbaro
05:45
From
The
New York
Times
. I'm Michael Barbaro
. This is The Daily.Share
05:51
As the Russian assault on
Ukraine
has intensified the government of Ukraine
enacted martial law requiring men to stay in the country and either join the fight or face the prospect of conscription as hundreds of thousands of their family members and friends have fled the country today.Share
06:16
My colleagues Clare Toeniskoetter and Lynsea Garrison have the stories of three of those men. It's Tuesday, March 1st.
Share
Eugene
06:39
Hi.
Share
Clare Toeniskoetter
06:44
Hi Eugene, how are you?
Share
Eugene
06:48
It's a little strange question for current situation. But I think they can say it 's pretty much okay accounting the circumstances.
Share
Clare Toeniskoetter
07:01
After I talked to Tera on Friday I got in touch with a young man named Eugene.
Share
Eugene
07:05
My name is Eugene Prussel. I'm 27 years old. I work in a company in the marketing department, and the whole my life I live in
Kharkiv
.Share
Clare Toeniskoetter
07:17
Kharkiv
is a city in northeast Ukraine
with a population of about 1.5 million. It 's the second largest city in Ukraine.
And like you, it had just started to see attacks by Russian soldiers. And talking to Eugene, he is very much talking about his life as it is there now versus as it was just a few days ago.Share
Eugene
07:42
I can say I was pretty cheerful. I like to crack a joke. But he was a normal guy who... He 's just working his work. He loves his job. He come home tired. I like puzzles. I like building lego. I wanted to start drawing, to buy something pretty for my apartment, to cook something for my friends.
Share
Clare Toeniskoetter
08:19
Last week, Eugene had been making plans to cook something that he could bring into work.
Share
Eugene
08:24
And make a chocolate banana pie for my colleagues. Yeah, I still have bananas in my fridge. But my colleagues don't have banana pie, they have Russian troops.
Share
Clare Toeniskoetter
08:45
Instead of bringing a pie into work on Thursday, Eugene woke up like so many people in
Ukraine
that day to an early morning phone call.Share
Eugene
08:53
From my father. He said that shouldn't start. About five hours later, half of my relatives, half of my friends were no longer in
Kharkiv
. They left.Share
Clare Toeniskoetter
09:14
Eugene 's parents are divorced and his dad decided to leave with his wife and Eugene 's stepbrothers. He 's trying to convince Eugene to do the same. But Eugene talks about this fear that he has this image in his mind.
Share
Eugene
09:30
I received a notification about an airstrike or that bombs are coming or something like that. I called my mom and she don't pick up and I have no idea. Is she alive and just doing something? She's in the middle of a fight and she will never pick up.
Share
10:02
I cannot live with this feeling that I cannot do nothing about what can happen to her. So my grandpa who also stayed in here. And so I decided to stay. Last weekend I cannot decide, "Should I buy games to play on my PlayStation? " And today I have to decide should I have to fight Russian army till my death. It 's pretty Jurassic change in... in steaks.
Share
Clare Toeniskoetter
10:56
So Eugene is prepared to fight. But he has a complicated relationship to the idea of fighting against Russian soldiers. His neighbors.
Share
Eugene
11:14
Every time I've seen reports from battlefield, our troops are winning and I'm glad but with the reports that we are willing I so people are dead. Every time I'm winning somebody losing their father, son, your friend.
Share
Clare Toeniskoetter
11:42
You mean the Russians or you mean the Ukrainians?
Share
Eugene
11:45
I mean the Russians because they loose their soldiers.
Share
Clare Toeniskoetter
11:51
He struggles with the mindset that the Russian soldiers are the enemy.
Share
Eugene
11:57
They were drafted in the army. The
President
sent them here probably. He anticipated the casualties. But, now I am become an active part of this war.Share
Clare Toeniskoetter
12:18
The day I talked to him, Eugene had planned to go and officially sign up for
Kharkiv
Territorial Defense
force. These are the untrained civilians who are being issued rifles and being assigned to keep overwatch, man checkpoints and help coordinate positions. But because of missile strikes and Russian troops in the city citizens were asked to shelter in place over the weekend. So Eugene was waiting a few days to sign up. In the meantime, he was preparing to be ready to fight on his own if need be.Share
Eugene
12:52
Our police, the official Facebook page of Ukrainian police today showed the there's a picture, how to prepare a
Molotov Cocktail
. So tomorrow I will try to find some acetone. Maybe even something additional.Share
Clare Toeniskoetter
13:17
Something additional. He said in addition to the acetone, he 's talking about a recipe he 's read to make a
Molotov Cocktail
stickier. I'm not going to include that recipe here, but Eugene says:Share
Eugene
13:32
It will stick to the palmer to the helmet, to your body, if it's contact with your skin and its severe bonds.
Share
Clare Toeniskoetter
13:46
It causes especially severe burns.
Share
Eugene
13:49
Yeah.
Share
Clare Toeniskoetter
13:53
So you anticipate using it on people on Russian soldiers.
Share
Eugene
14:00
I don't want to, but if Russian military troops will come to my town, I anticipate to use it. Yeah.
Share
Clare Toeniskoetter
14:15
So you're kind of, you're, you're anticipating that sounds like guerilla warfare in your city?
Share
Eugene
14:20
If it 's needed here yeah.
Share
Clare Toeniskoetter
14:24
It strikes me that you've been so sad watching the images of Russian troops who are dead, that you're seeing on the news and you're thinking these are men with families, but at the same time, you're planning on using this
Molotov Cocktail
to kill Russian soldiers.Share
Eugene
14:48
From the start, I told you that it is and easy to comprehend for myself. I don't... I obviously I never killed a man or and helium balloon for these matters. I don't know. I'm going to field. I pretty much believe that I... if I should to do it, I will have some heavy psychological circumstances after that. But what does a choice do I have?
Share
15:34
I don't know what I should to do. What else? Because two they come here. No one was inviting them.
Share
Michael Barbaro
16:11
We'll be right back.
Share
Break
Lynsea Garrison
17:31
Hello.
Share
Tyhran
17:34
1 second.
Share
17:35
Okay hi, nice meeting You.
Share
Lynsea Garrison
17:36
Nice to meet you as well. Thank you so much for your time.
Share
Tyhran
17:40
Yeah. Fortunately I have wifi right now and I'm in safe place. I can talk.
Share
Lynsea Garrison
17:44
You have wifi and you're in a safe place. Okay.
Share
Tyhran
17:47
Yes, yes, yes.
Share
Lynsea Garrison
17:49
That's good. And how do I say your name?
Share
Tyhran
17:52
Oh, my name is Tyhran.
Share
Lynsea Garrison
17:55
Tyhran.
Share
Tyhran
17:56
Yeah, Tyhran yeah.
Share
Lynsea Garrison
17:59
Over the weekend I heard a story from
Ukraine
that was different than so many of the stories coming out of the country right now. Amongst all the stories of the men of Ukraine
staying behind to fight and Ukrainian citizens voluntarily taking up arms.Share
18:16
I heard from a source about a young man who didn't want to fight and when I called him, he was just outside
Lviv
near the border of Poland
. He knew about the ban on men ages 18-60 leaving the country, but he was still trying to figure out how to get across.Share
18:34
Yesterday. I was trying to pass the border to
Poland
but I didn't succeed. The day before. He had already been rejected trying.Share
18:44
How old are you now?
Share
Tyhran
18:46
I'm 23 years old.
Share
Lynsea Garrison
18:49
Tyhran told me he left his home in
Kiev
the day of the invasion. He had lived in the city for seven years.Share
Tyhran
18:56
I love this place a lot. I'm actually an illustrator and animator. I'm doing cartoons.
Share
Lynsea Garrison
19:03
You're doing cartoons?
Share
Tyhran
19:04
Yeah.
Share
Lynsea Garrison
19:06
He said for the past year he had been working at a design agency in
Kiev
. He had these big dreams of one day working for Pixar
or Disney
.Share
Tyhran
19:16
Yeah, it 's one of my dreams because I was raised in these cartoons and...
Share
19:20
You were raised on the
Mickey Mouse
cartoons?Share
19:24
Yeah, and the
101 Dalmatians
and many others.Share
Lynsea Garrison
19:29
101 Dalmatians
, I haven't thought about that movie in a long time.Share
Tyhran
19:38
During my last year I was making a cartoon and I've just finished it. I can send you a link, you can watch it later.
Share
19:51
I'm gay and I was making cartoons about my relationship and uh I was making a cartoon about how I tried to understand what happened like... Yeah, yeah... Sorry, I'm just a little bit nervous.
Share
Lynsea Garrison
20:07
No, no, that 's okay. Was it about a breakup?
Share
Tyhran
20:12
I was just I always miss this person. That 's all I can say. Yeah. And I just decided to make a cartoon in order to understand my feelings about the situation. But like Yeah situation has changed. The situation has changed a lot.
Share
Lynsea Garrison
20:34
Tyhran too was woken up on Thursday morning by a call from a relative. This one from his younger brother.
Share
Tyhran
20:41
He said: "Russia is bombing us".
Share
Lynsea Garrison
20:44
His brother was already on a train to get out of the country and he crossed the border into
Poland
later that day.Share
Tyhran
20:50
And this was a small relief to me because I know he's definitely safe in a safe place right now.
Share
Lynsea Garrison
20:59
So Tyhran also starts trying to move quickly to get out.
Share
Tyhran
21:03
I just took all my technical equipment because I'm drawing all the time, I cannot imagine myself without drawing. And I also took another bag just was socks, underwear, clothing is for pairs of shorts and one pair of jeans and sweater. And just to gather with all my cash and documents.
Share
Lynsea Garrison
21:25
And can you just tell me why you wanted to leave
Ukraine
?Share
Tyhran
21:31
I can tell you the whole story. Originally I was born in
Crimea
.Share
Lynsea Garrison
21:36
It turns out that Tyhran has had an experience like this before. For him, the story starts in 2014 in
Crimea
where he grew up. At the time it was part of Ukraine
. He was 16 years old when the Russians annex the peninsula. And soon after that, Tyhran says the Russian government tried to get him to submit paperwork that would allow him to be conscripted by the Russian military. The same military that had just invaded and taken over his homeland.Share
Tyhran
22:09
It was ridiculous. I was just 16 and I was understanding this, I was just like I was really shocked about it.
Share
Lynsea Garrison
22:16
He declines to submit the paperwork and instead leaves
Crimea
and heads to Kiev
and he's made that his new home and now he has found himself trying to flee the Russian military once again. He got on a train headed west toward the polish border just like his brother did hours before him when a message came through on Telegram
.Share
Tyhran
22:43
There was a law about mobilization that people are not able to leave.
Share
Lynsea Garrison
22:48
Just like the bus, Tara had been on, Tyhran's train was headed for the border when the government announced that men it is 18 through 60 would no longer be able to leave
Ukraine
.Share
Tyhran
22:59
And I was really nervous and shocked. They were just saying that everybody is forbidden.
Share
Lynsea Garrison
23:04
He says he started to cry. But then unlike the men on the bus who weren't given the choice, Tyhran decided to keep going and try his luck anyway. He arrived in [... ], a town on the border of
Poland
, and men a crowd of people all waiting to pass through seven hours.Share
23:28
He said the mood was tense. A fight breaks out.
Share
Tyhran
23:32
There was a fire too close to me...
Share
Lynsea Garrison
23:33
And then he said some women in line just started to kind of look at him.
Share
Tyhran
23:38
And they were just girls...
Share
Lynsea Garrison
23:40
And question "Why was he in this line? "
Share
Tyhran
23:42
And they were asking, "How old are you standing here? "
Share
Lynsea Garrison
23:45
Why was he a young man
Share
Tyhran
23:48
You should leave because you're...
Share
Lynsea Garrison
23:49
Trying to get out.
Share
Tyhran
23:51
I'm trying to avoid them....
Share
Lynsea Garrison
23:53
He tries to ignore them. And then finally Tyhran gets to talk to a border official.
Share
Tyhran
23:60
And I came to him and he said you are not able to go, you have Ukrainian passport.
Share
Lynsea Garrison
24:04
But he doesn't allow Tyhran to pass.
Share
Tyhran
24:07
I'm sorry, I'm a refugee. I have no place to stay and this guy, he was forcing me to leave the cure of people. I have been standing for six hours and people were starting to shout... people were panicking and they started to shout at me "Shame, shame, shame" because everybody wanted to leave.
Share
Lynsea Garrison
24:27
They were shouting "Shame, shame" at you?
Share
Tyhran
24:29
Yes. Just because I asked if I could pass the border.
Share
Lynsea Garrison
24:35
How are you feeling in that moment when people are yelling at you?
Share
Tyhran
24:40
I was I felt myself a little bit disappointed because why are you shouting "shame"? Like why do people do this? My home was taken and now it's taken again.
Russia
has already taken the place I was born Crimea
and in Kyiv
, I have just lost... I've lost a place I had.Share
25:06
I'm just I've been I've been always moving and moving and moving and like you're saying with this guy, I don't know your life but my life at some point was sucked up so many times and I was just everybody is having a shitty situations right now, every Ukrainian is having the same issue right now, everybody has its own issues and story and my story, it's been going for the last eight years. Unfortunately, this is what I was angry for I don't know, I just accepted it and just left the border.
Share
Clare Toeniskoetter
25:48
Do you think it 's unfair that they're not letting men pass the border right now?
Share
Tyhran
25:60
In my sincere opinion, yes, I think it 's unfair. Maybe I will receive many judgments. I think if you want to go, I mean there is a people who are motivated to go to the army and understand what were they doing protecting. But I'm not understanding that the government is forced to.
Share
26:20
I mean, I can't imagine myself doing military stuff just because I have no experience in it. I'm afraid of holding guns. I mean I've been always all my life. I mean when I was younger, I was always asking my parents not to buy me cars. I was always asking for fluffy toys.
Share
Lynsea Garrison
26:40
When you were little? Like when you were little, you didn't want like toy cars. You wanted stuffed animals?
Share
Tyhran
26:45
I really liked it a lot. Like having a fluffy toys. My parents were always against the violence and they were against buying me any weapons And for me just holding a gun. I mean, I cannot imagine myself called holding a gun. I can imagine myself volunteering and helping but not holding a gun.
Share
27:09
I mean I'm officially employed and paying taxes and making donations to support your green. I mean, I do anything I can, I can do. I'm illustrator. I'm trying to draw some motivational posters and just because I'm sorry, I have a penis, I cannot leave. So why should I just be not able to cross the border?
Share
27:37
But I'm gonna try again. Probably, there was some mentions that it is about passing the border illegally. I don't know how in case it will get worse. We'll probably be trying this because just right now I'm not feeling myself safe.
Share
27:58
I mean, they're bombing and people are dying. Everybody is running. Like I have no idea how many lives during the last three days... they're not gonna stop. Unfortunately. They just... want to destroy.
Share
Lynsea Garrison
28:22
Tyhran says he and his brother had been texting from across the border.
Share
Tyhran
28:28
Yeah, he texted me. He said, "I wish I could be instead of you". And I said, "Please don't be ridiculous. I always ask you to think and live out yourself". This is the best scenario which could ever happen because he's saying he's with his girlfriend and so I'm pretty happy to know that he isn't safe and I have minus one headache. This is like small winning to me that understanding that my brother is safe.
Share
29:44
So the Russian offensive continues now for the three days in the last 42 hours,
Russia
launched cruise and ballistic missiles on Ceres, attacked Ukraine
was aviation tanks and artillery.Share
30:03
I mean, I think everyone saw yesterday the footage of the rocket getting into a residential complex in
Kiev
.Share
30:17
We are absolutely appalled by the Russian crimes against humanity, which we see throughout
Ukraine.
Responsibility for these actions is inevitable regardless of how much time it will take us to defend our country.Share
30:38
I'm here in order to protect my family, my country and my region where're my people.
Share
Lynsea Garrison
30:54
Do you know how to use the gun?
Share
30:56
No, a little beat. We, I started to teach two days ago. It's awful.
Share
Lynsea Garrison
31:06
Are you scared?
Share
31:11
Of course
Share
31:15
There are Russian base in my village and from my village that they're going to uh go here on the key you to capture it. Yes, it 's really scary and terrifying. I called to my parents. They really scared, there's Russians in our village, enemies. I hope that they will be fine.
Share
31:48
We don't give our freedom, anybody, never, until we die.
Share
Clare Toeniskoetter
32:14
Hi, Andrew.
Share
Andrew
32:15
Hi Clare.
Share
Clare Toeniskoetter
32:16
Andrew is 23 and until a couple of weeks ago he was a normal guy in his early 20s. A computer programmer. Days before
Russia
invaded, he signed up with the Territorial Defense Force
in Kiev
saying it's what he needed to do for his country. And over the past few days we've been talking about his first days of service.Share
32:40
So how were what was your first day like?
Share
Andrew
32:43
I come to my base, they give me my weapons and the uniform, but we haven't good training, 'cause it... there wasn't enough time to do that. Yeah.
Share
Clare Toeniskoetter
33:01
And what is a day like?
Share
Andrew
33:06
Territorial Defense have to protect some important place in
Kyiv
. You go to the place that commander told you said you should go there in some places in some more important places you could have contact with the enemy.Share
Clare Toeniskoetter
33:31
And what does it actually look like in the streets of
Kiev
right now?Share
Andrew
33:35
Yesterday it was fucked, really fucked. Sorry about my French but...
Share
Clare Toeniskoetter
33:40
It 's okay.
Share
Andrew
33:42
It was not far from a railway station almost in the city centers.
Share
Clare Toeniskoetter
33:49
And what happened?
Share
Andrew
33:50
It was street fights. A group of fashion on vehicles, like military vehicles with guns start a fight. So yeah sort of a bad situation.
Share
Clare Toeniskoetter
34:05
What does the street fight look like in
Kiev
?Share
Andrew
34:09
I can send you a video about this.
Share
Clare Toeniskoetter
34:11
Okay I'll watch the video. Can you try to describe?
Share
Andrew
34:16
It was Russians in our military forces and also some group of
Territorial Defense.
You can hear when bullets flying under you. It feels quite like really, really close to you. And this sounds fierce sounds of bullets, or it was really scared.Share
Clare Toeniskoetter
34:56
You were really scared?
Share
Andrew
34:59
It was not emotion. I think it was something from inside, it was like something animal stuff. I haven't feel anything before like that before.
Share
35:19
Yeah, when bullets finished applying this means they need to recharge their weapons and you have time to shoot, to answer shoot and you start like...
Share
35:44
But the Russians not in good position in society because there are a lot of us in
Kyiv
. Only in Kyiv
of like more than 10,000 of us. In cities we have better positions in our end.Share
Clare Toeniskoetter
36:08
You know the city better than they do because you lived there.
Share
Andrew
36:11
Much more better.
Share
Clare Toeniskoetter
36:14
And how did this fight end?
Share
Andrew
36:16
Good, Good.
Share
Clare Toeniskoetter
36:19
Can you tell me if you... did you fight back?
Share
Andrew
36:22
Yes, of course I'm shooting. I'm trying to hit her enemy.
Share
Clare Toeniskoetter
36:27
Okay. And Andrew, what is your understanding of how
Ukraine
is doing right now in the war?Share
Andrew
36:38
Ah we are winning in the information war.
Share
Clare Toeniskoetter
36:42
You're winning in the information war? Yes.
Share
Andrew
36:45
Yeah.
Share
Clare Toeniskoetter
36:46
Right. How about the physical war though? Do you think you're winning that war?
Share
Andrew
36:54
Ah... physical... to be clear, I'm not allowed to talk about this.
Share
Clare Toeniskoetter
37:07
Okay.
Share
Andrew
37:08
Maybe after this sheet answer I can talk about this more clearly, but not now.
Share
Clare Toeniskoetter
37:17
Okay. I understand.
Share
37:22
Andrew. We spoke a week ago and at that point you've made the decision to fight and to join the
Territorial Defense
forces. How are you feeling now, one week later about that decision?Share
Andrew
37:36
I'm happier that I'm in Territorial Defense because I'm still alive. I'm happy that I made this decision. But I'm still... I have feelings that I'm not doing all that I can.
Share
Clare Toeniskoetter
37:54
What do you mean?
Share
Andrew
38:05
We have been in this world only because our like regular forces. They made so much for us to be alive and I'm just in
Kiev
in base, but they don't have this pleasure.Share
Clare Toeniskoetter
38:29
You can only do so much because you don't have the training. You've just joined a few days ago.
Share
Andrew
38:36
Yeah, Yeah, Yeah. Just simple. 23 years old man. Nothing special.
Share
Clare Toeniskoetter
38:51
It 's 5:00 PM on Sunday night in
Kiev
. What is the rest of your night going to look like Andrew?Share
Andrew
38:58
Oh, you never know, you never know. It's a war.
Share
Michael Barbaro
39:03
On Monday, Ukrainian forces retained control of major cities. But as the invasion entered a 5th day,
Russia
appeared to be stepping up its military campaign. A convoy of Russian armed forces 40 miles long moved closer to Kiev
as troops also moved to towns west of the capital in what may be an attempt to encircle the city and cut off supply lines to arms and other military equipment arriving from European countries in the city of Kharkiv
. Videos showed Russian rockets hitting a residential neighborhood, the most aggressive targeting of a civilian area since the invasion began.Share
40:15
In the time since we spoke with him. Eugene told us he followed up with
Ukraine
's Territorial Defense
forces in Kharkiv
and was told that they have enough soldiers and that for the time being, I don't want any more untrained citizens.Share
40:33
Tyhranis still in
Ukraine
. He heard that some people were successfully crossing the border at another location. So he booked a ticket there and plans to try to leave Ukraine
tomorrow. Half a million refugees have now fled the country.Share
40:54
Finally, Andrew told us that on Monday two people in his battalion were killed in
Kiev
and that he's now ready to fight on the front lines.Share
Andrew
41:10
In my opinion more than half of my battalion will die here.
Share
Clare Toeniskoetter
41:16
I hear more than half of your battalion will die?
Share
Andrew
41:22
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Share
Clare Toeniskoetter
41:23
How do you feel about that personally?
Share
Andrew
41:25
I feel a chance to stay alive. You of course you never know. Uh will you die or will you still alive? But it 's like intuition. So I hope my intuition is working.
Share
Clare Toeniskoetter
41:49
Right.
Share
Michael Barbaro
42:04
We'll be right back.
Share
Break
Michael Barbaro
42:41
Here 's what else you need to know today. On Monday three west coast states,
California,
Oregon
and Washington
said they will drop school mask mandates in the coming days. In the latest example of local governments rolling back pandemic restrictions. It followed a similar decision by New York
, which will end its mask mandate for schools tomorrow.Share
43:11
And a major new study has found that
Pfizer
Biontech
's COVID
vaccine is much less effective in preventing infection in children ages 5-11 than in older children or adults. The finding is significant because the Pfizer
vaccine is the only shot authorized for children in that age group. The vaccine prevents severe illness in children but offers virtually no protection against infection.Share
43:46
Today 's episode was produced by Clare Toeniskoetter and Lynsea Garrison with help from Jessica Cheung and Alexandra Leigh Young. It was edited by Lisa Tobin and M. J. Davis Lin, engineered by Chris Wood and contains original music from Marion Lozano and Dan Powell. Our theme music is by Jim Rutenberg and Ben Lansford of Wonderland.
Share
44:15
That 's it for the
Daily
, I'm Michael Barbaro
, See you tomorrow.Share
Break
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🇮🇹 Made with love & passion in Italy. 🌎 Enjoyed everywhere
Build n. 1.38.1
Lynsea Garrison
Tara Neitzey
Clare Toeniskoetter
Michael Barbaro
Eugene
Tyhran
Andrew