oddlings

Pixies’ “Where Is My Mind?” started as a standout track on Surfer Rosa and turned into one of the most recognizable songs in alternative rock. Decades later, it still hits the same.

Four years ago, in these very days, the fate of Kyiv was finally decided. Here, in the small dacha village of Moshchun on the outskirts of Kyiv, on the banks of the Irpin River, Russian forces suffered a decisive defeat, and on March 21, 2022, Ukrainian troops cleared the area of the enemy, securing a decisive victory in the battle for Kyiv. It was here, in Moshchun, that Russian forces managed to cross the Irpin River at the only point and threaten a breakthrough directly into Kyiv. It was here that the heroic 72nd Mechanized, as well as units and formations of the territorial defense, special operations forces, the National Guard, and volunteers (including foreigners), fought a heavy battle to prevent this, and the fate of the capital hung by a thread. But the heroism of the defenders prevailed. Russian forces, in particular the ill-fated 155th Naval Infantry from the Pacific and elite VDV units faltered and retreated from Moshchun. Not a single Russian soldier ever set foot within the administrative boundaries of Kyiv. It is sad, but Moshchun barely survived the battle of 2022 -- it became largely depopulated and significantly destroyed, although residents have already rebuilt and restored much. It is always very quiet there. The local community and authorities have for several years now been arranging and developing an open-air memorial museum called “Angels of Victory.” On the very site where Ukrainian trenches once stood in opposition to advancing Russian forces. I went there again a couple of days ago to pay respects to the souls of the fallen soldiers. This is a place of mourning and a place of the greatest gratitude, one that every person who values the ideals of the free world should visit.