リヴィウから車で10時間走るも目的地に辿り着けず、見ず知らずの若い夫婦のお宅にチェックイン。ロシア軍侵攻後、避難民やボランティアのために一夜の宿を無償で提供するアプリが自然に出来たらしい。「強大な軍事力で叩けばウクライナは分裂するとロシアは思ったろうが、我々はむしろ団結している」。同行する地元の友人はボルシチをすすりながら胸を張った。これもまたプーチンの大いなる誤算かもしれない。
After a 10-hour drive from Lviv, we were unable to reach our
destination and checked into the home of a young couple, complete
strangers. It seems that after the Russian invasion, an application
was naturally created to provide free overnight lodging for displaced
people and volunteers. They told us, “The Russians thought that if
they hit us with their mighty military force, Ukraine would break
apart, but we are rather united.” A local friend accompanying me was
sipping borscht and puffing out his chest. This may be another of
Putin’s great miscalculations.