Epiphany

I'm a day late with this depiction of the Holy Family at Epiphany -- the feast of Light made manifest in the world.

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Perhaps we should think of them as holed up in Ukrainian town of Bakhmut.

Once one of the best-looking cities of the industrial part of Donbas, the famous manufacturer of salt, Bakhmut is dead now. 

Almost no building is left intact. Some buildings are completely razed to ashes, with giant, meters-deep impact holes next to them. Most are damaged but still standing. The street signs wrecked with shell fragments still tell the story of vibrant life in the very recent past. 

The apocalyptic streets are empty and silent, except for the roar of artillery guns and the buzz of drones high above. Every now and then, one of the few remaining locals is seen in the street, often carrying bags of humanitarian aid. 

According to the military-civilian administration responsible for the area, some 90% of residents have fled. But some 8,700 civilians out of a pre-war population of over 70,000 are still hiding in ruins.

• • •

Soldiers gladly pass an opened bottle of whiskey to journalists. They are just dying to spend a minute talking to a new face before they have to move on.

“It’s such a mess,” they get emotional. 

“What they write about us on the internet, all the glorious victories, is so different from what we see here every day. Where is our artillery, what are they even doing? It’s a complete mess. We don’t give a fuck if that’s Wagner or anyone else, we’ll keep fighting anyway.” 

“But we want to fight and win, not just fight and die sooner or later.”

The linked account of Ukrainian Bakhmut is worth your time and moral contemplation. Yet the Light still shines and darkness has not overcome it.