I took intercession prayers at church this morning and was able to add the words of our two arch bishops to the prayers for Ukraine, I was almost in tears. I have made six tours of Ukraine covering most of the country from 1995 to 2019. The crossing by foot border point between Ukraine and Poland I remember all too well as we were nearly crushed by a stampeded of Ukrainians trying to break through the Polish border check points, we had to prompt the Polish guards to restore order, as pistols were drawn behaviour improved but now it is a far more belligerent force that is trying to beak into Ukraine. Nearly every clip on TV is of somewhere I have visited. I also have friends in Russia, how awful to be put alongside a monster like Putin , to speak out in Russia now is a inviting a beating and imprisonment.
Today the spectre of nuclear war was alluded to by Putin, something most younger readers can scarcely have known about, the doctrine of MAD well described mutually assured destruction should the missiles be unleashed.
I will be posting peaceful scenes from Ukraine over the 27 years I have been visiting, these should start tomorrow. If the weather holds I'll be filming in Nottingham tomorrow plus Manchester and Liverpool later in the week. I hope to get another archive film ready before we leave for Mexico.