*原文链接：https://medium.com/balakun/my-extra-power-for-story-writing-040edda04705
My Extra Power for Story Writing
And what it has to do with Donbas and Ukraine
By: Olesia F.
?
I’m a Ukrainian writing in English.
Originally from the Luhansk region of Ukraine (invaded by russia in 2014), I’ve not seen my parents since 2021. My mom passed away in occupation. My step-father is pro-russian, conciously staying in occupation and now lying in the hospital there with a serious illness.
“Thanks” to russians, I don’t have a home.
Thanks to Ukrainian Luhansk, I can write about it in English, self-reflecting on my?russification, restoring my true identity, and telling more people, including foreigners, about my homeland.
?My origins are my extra power to counteract russian propaganda about Donbas being pro-russian, about the “people of Donbas” calling russia in 2014 and asking to help, save, and protect them from the “Kyiv regime,” “nazis,” “nationalist bigots,” whatever.
When pro-russian bots come to the comments under my articles today and say that russia came to save the “people of Donbas,” I have the argument they can do nothing with:
I’m the “people of Donbas,” you morons!
I didn’t call russia. I had nothing to save me from. But even if I had, russia would be the last thing I asked to help me.?(Who in their right mind would call on the murderers of their ancestors for help?)
And guess what?
There are no “people of Donbas.” There is no “Donbas oblast’.”
There are Ukrainians from the East of Ukraine. There are Donetsk and parts of Luhansk and Dnipropetrovsk regions of Ukraine staying on the?Donetsk Coal?Basin. (See “don” + “bas” there?) Geography, guys, you learned it?
I studied English at Taras Shevchenko National University of Luhansk.?(Yeap, that’s Taras Shevchenko who invaders call a “russian poet” and, simultaneously, remove his bas-relief near my alma mater.)
?I wrote more about notable Ukrainian writers, including Taras, here:
I practiced English as an intrepreneur at?Luhanskteplovoz.?(Yeap, that’s a large industrial company in Luhansk that had been manufacturing locomotives, multiple unit trains, and other heavy equipment for different countries — I worked as a translator with Indian representatives when they came to see how the production was going — until russians came, looted it, and made it completely inoperational.)
My English writing skills are my extra power to tell the world about my Luhansk, which is often unfairly forgotten. (People usually speak about “Donbas,” meaning Eastern Ukraine in general, but they often associate it with the Donetsk region only.)
?I talked about Luhansk in my story for this book,..
…and the invaded Luhansk is the place where the storyline of my upcoming novel takes place.
In 2022, Medium became my platform for self-reflection on my identity and culture and for being among the voices to tell about Ukraine, its people, and our struggles in the Russo-Ukrainian war (ongoing since February 2014.)
It’s not “the war in Ukraine.” And it’s not a “Ukrainian conflict.”
It’s a war with only one culprit and aggressor:
russia.
English is my power and opportunity to translate and share stories of our soldiers (many are from the Luhansk region, too) and communicate the situation to foreigners.
It’s a pity to see how many foreigners, including those in governments, don’t understand the context and don’t want to accept the true reason for the russian invasion: the destruction of Ukrainians and erasement of their identity; not all that sh*t about NATO, nazis, protection of russian-speaking Ukrainians, whatever.
I think that’s because of fear:
If you accept it’s genocide, you should do something with that. You won’t have any moral right to ignore it. So, it’s more comfortable (psychologically, too) to find another reason and thus justify your indifference and inactivity…
?Congrats, guys! You’re watching the genocide online now, and many of you are blaming the victim.
So, I’m here to tell my murderers again:
I’m the “people of Donbas” of Ukraine.
The Azov regiment you all are afraid of and publicize as “nazis” are Ukrainians who protect their lands and whom we, the people of Ukraine, love, respect, and call heroes.
We all are the people of Ukraine.
And, as a representative of the Eastern part of my country you invaded and genocided, I have a voice and writing power to state for the record in English:
?No one invited you or wanted to see you here.
Go to hell and take all that madman’s ramblings about “brotherly nations” with you. You aren’t brothers; you’re invaders. You’ve always been. You haven’t liberated my Donbas. You wiped my home off the face of the earth. Not putin, but all of you. You are terrorists and murderers, a nation of psychopaths proud of their crimes.
And I’m disappointed to see that the free world refuses to see it or doesn’t give a damn about it, letting your tyranny shine.
?
我写作的超能力，以及它与顿巴斯和乌克兰的关系
作者：Olesia F.
我是一名用英语写作的乌克兰人。
我来自乌克兰卢甘斯克地区（2014年被俄罗斯入侵）。自从2021年以来，我就没有见过我的父母。我的母亲在被占领期间去世。我的继父是亲俄派，他有意识地留在被占领区，现在因重病躺在医院里。
“感谢”俄罗斯人，我无家可归了。
感谢乌克兰的卢甘斯克，我可以用英语写作，自我反思我的“俄罗斯化”经历，恢复我真实的身份，并向更多人，包括外国人，讲述我的家园。
我的出身是我对抗俄罗斯关于顿巴斯亲俄宣传的超能力，包括那些关于“顿巴斯人民”在2014年呼吁俄罗斯帮助、拯救和保护他们，摆脱“基辅政权”、“纳粹”、“民族主义偏执狂”等等谣言。
当亲俄机器人今天在我的文章下评论，说俄罗斯来拯救“顿巴斯人民”时，我就有话怼死他们：
我就是你们说的‘顿巴斯人民’，蠢货！”
我没有呼吁俄罗斯。我没有什么需要他们拯救的。即使有，俄罗斯也是我最不可能寻求帮助的对象。（谁会在头脑正常的情况下，向杀害他们祖先的凶手求助？）
猜猜怎么着？
根本没有所谓的“顿巴斯人民”。也没有所谓的“顿巴斯州”。
有的是来自乌克兰东部的乌克兰人。有的是居住在顿涅茨克煤田的顿涅茨克、卢甘斯克和第聂伯罗彼得罗夫斯克州的乌克兰人。（看看“顿”+“巴斯”这两个字？)?地理，伙计们，你们学到了吗？
我曾在塔拉斯·舍甫琴科卢甘斯克国立大学学习英语。（没错，就是那个被入侵者称为“俄罗斯诗人”，并同时拆除我母校附近他的浮雕的塔拉斯·舍甫琴科。）
我在这里写了更多关于著名的乌克兰作家，包括塔拉斯：
[八位帮助你了解这个国家的乌克兰作家?(https://olesia-filipenko.medium.com/8-ukrainian-writers-to-help-you-understand-this-nation-63d357cba95c?)]
我作为企业家在卢甘斯克机车厂期间练习了英语。（没错，那是一家大型工业企业，生产机车、动车组和其他重型设备，销往不同国家?–?当印度代表来看生产情况时，我为他们担任翻译?--?直到俄罗斯人来，抢劫并使其完全瘫痪。）
我的英语写作技巧是我告诉世界关于卢甘斯克被不公平遗忘之事的超能力。（人们通常说“顿巴斯”，指的是整个乌克兰东部，但他们通常只将其与顿涅茨克地区联系起来。）
我的英语写作技巧是我向世界讲述我的卢甘斯克的额外力量，卢甘斯克经常被不公平地遗忘。（人们通常说的“顿巴斯”，指的是整个乌克兰东部，但他们通常只将其与顿涅茨克地区联系起来。）
在这本书里，我在我的故事里谈到了卢甘斯克：
[《我不知道该如何写作》(olesia-filipenko.medium.com)]?你会想读这本书的。
……被入侵的卢甘斯克是我即将出版的小说的故事发生地。
2022年，Medium成为我自我反思身份和文化的平台，并是我讲述乌克兰、乌克兰人民和我们在俄乌战争（自2014年2月以来）中的斗争的平台。
！这不是“乌克兰的战争”。也不是“乌克兰冲突”。
这是一场只有一个罪魁祸首和侵略者的战争：俄罗斯。
英语是我的力量和机会，让我能够翻译和分享我们士兵们的故事（其中许多人也来自卢甘斯克地区），并向外国人传达局势。
[乌克兰士兵自述：战火、库尔斯克与俄罗斯的真相?(https://medium.com/areas-producers/ukrainian-soldier-on-war-kursk-and-russian-nature-2ebd9da413bb)]
令人遗憾的是，许多外国人，包括政府官员，不了解事情的真相，不愿接受俄罗斯入侵的真正原因：摧毁乌克兰人，抹杀他们的身份；而不是那些关于北约、纳粹、保护讲俄语的乌克兰人等等的废话。
我认为这是因为恐惧：
如果你承认这是种族灭绝，你就应该为此做些什么。你将没有任何道德权利去忽视它。所以，找到另一个理由，为你的冷漠和不作为开脱，这会让你更舒服（在心理上也是如此）。
！恭喜各位！你们正在观看在线直播的种族灭绝，而且你们中的许多人正在指责受害者。
所以，我再次来告诉我的凶手们：
我就是乌克兰的“顿巴斯人民”。
你们害怕并宣传为“纳粹”的亚速营是保卫自己土地的乌克兰人，我们乌克兰人民，热爱、尊重并称他们为英雄。
（图片来源：azovstalfamilies）
我们都是乌克兰人民。
而且，作为你们入侵和种族灭绝的乌克兰东部地区的代表，我有发言权和写作能力用英语记录：
！没有人邀请你们，也没有人想在这里见到你们。
滚回地狱，带走那个疯子关于“兄弟民族”的所有胡言乱语。你们不是兄弟；你们是入侵者。你们一直都是。你们没有解放我的顿巴斯。你们把我的家园从地球上抹去了。不只是普京，而是你们所有人。你们是恐怖分子和凶手，是一个以自己的罪行而自豪的精神病民族。
我很失望地看到，自由世界拒绝看到这一切，或者根本不在乎，让你的暴政大放异彩。
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