Oleg Andreyev
Self-portrait for Let’s Talk Durham
On Monday, July 8th, Russia launched widespread bombings across Ukrainian cities. Among the many civilian targets struck was Okhmatdyt, Ukraine’s largest pediatric clinic in Kyiv, renowned for its cancer treatment. The most heart-wrenching aspect of this ongoing conflict, besides the Kremlin’s unprecedented cruelty, is the pervasive sense of uncertainty about when it will end, making it easy to lose hope. In light of this, we reached out to Ukrainian computer engineer and illustrator Oleg Andreyev (again):
You have been drafted to go to war. Are you ready?
I was drafted by the military office in my city in the most ordinary way, just as thousands of people across the country are being called up for service now. My military friends suggested that I serve in their unit because they need people with my skills and work experience, and I would be useful there. After some bureaucratic hassle, I am now in my place here. But let's make one thing clear right away: I did not go to war as you mentioned. For every person fighting on the front line, there are dozens of military personnel providing supply, training, financing, and so on. The army now needs IT specialists, engineers, lawyers, and financiers. Right now, I am working in the headquarters with paper-computer tasks. It is planned that in the future I will go out with my squad to the combat areas, but that will be later. I feel relatively calm about this. Before being sent on combat missions in my branch of the military, training is conducted, full equipment is issued, and everything happens gradually, allowing time to adjust to the changes. Even before joining the headquarters, I went through a month and a half of mandatory basic military training.
Over two years have passed since the beginning of Russia's war in Ukraine. Have you changed any of your perspectives?
Of course, everything is changing, and constantly. At the very least, the next three years of my life will be connected with the army and the war, maybe even much longer. As of today, my previous employer has reserved my position for better times and even pays me my salary. I am super grateful for that, of course. But who knows whether I will be able to reintegrate into my profession in several years. On the other hand, I am living in a new city, far from home, working with the best guys in my country and performing new, unfamiliar tasks. It's rather interesting in its own way. If it weren't for the sad reason, one could find many positive aspects in all of it. In general, millions of Ukrainians have been changing their plans and perspectives almost daily for the past two years, both here and abroad. So in this respect, I'm like everyone else in my country.
President Trump has stated that if elected, he will broker a deal with Russia regarding Ukraine. What are your thoughts on this?
Regrettably, we have attempted to negotiate with Russia approximately 15 times, each ending in bloodshed, casualties, war, and the erosion of our culture. Trump, like any mediocre merchant, believes he is the smartest, but he is not. This approach will harm not only us but also the United States and the world at large. As always, consider this if you plan to vote for "Make America Great Again."
What do you attribute to getting you through this difficult time?
It's quite simple: we have no choice. If we lose, we will cease to exist as a people and as a country. That is precisely what russia wants. Any attempts at revival would be centuries away, if we are fortunate. By the way, we don't capitalize "russia" here and advise you to do the same. It is not a state, but rather an unprincipled and pathetic terrorist oil corporation.
What do you believe has the potential to quell Putin’s fury?
The trick is that it's not just about Putin. Putin himself is not the one at the controls of the planes bombing children's hospitals and power stations; he's not the one fueling them, feeding the pilots, handling the military supplies, or convincing husbands, sons, and fathers to fight for money in Ukraine. He's not the one watching Russian TV and happily supporting all of this in the comments on Russian social media. In the end, it's not him who pays taxes that fund missiles, drones, and information warfare. Most of them are fine with everything as long as the war is not on their territory.
We are fighting slightly more than 100 million Putins. If he dies tomorrow (God willing, of course), he will instantly be replaced by Putin 2, possibly a more cunning and West-friendly version. But he will do roughly the same things. Therefore, the only way for us (and for you) to win is not to replace Putin but to defeat Russia on the battlefield.
That's the way it is.
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