The Threat of a Russian Invasion Is Crushing Ukraine's Economy and Culture
For years, the Closer nightclub in the Ukrainian capital has dominated Eastern Europe’s legendary dance scene. A guest performance by a pair of celebrated American DJs—planned for Feb. 12—would have placed the Kyiv techno bar firmly on the international stage.
But when U.S. intelligence warned a day earlier of an “imminent” Russian invasion of Ukraine, The Blessed Madonna and Honey Dijon pulled out at the last minute. The nightclub’s management scrambled to replace them with an artist from Germany—who also ultimately ended up canceling. “His wife forbade him from going to Ukraine,” says Closer’s technical director Sergii Vel, sounding weary. After months of challenges because of COVID-19, he’s now facing additional difficulties because of the growing threat from Russia. Last weekend, though Closer managed to hold a smaller event with Ukrainian musicians, Vel says he could feel a darkness closing in. “Our cultural sphere is greatly suffering,” he added.
As clouds of conflict loom over this country of 40 million, many are feeling particularly deserted. While Moscow said this week that it had started withdrawing some of its 130,000 troops positioned close to Ukraine’s borders, Western countries maintain the possibility of a major Russian strike is high. Tensions ratcheted up on Friday when a car bomb exploded in Donetsk, according to Russian state media, an area where Moscow-backed separatists were evacuating people to Russia—precisely the kind of incident Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned could be used to justify a Russian invasion. And though the West has so far united in their support for Ukraine—a crisis that “directly affects every member of [the U.N. Security] Council and every country in the world”, according to Blinken on Thursday—many Ukrainians feel that the incessant talk of war is already having a disastrous impact: isolating the country on various fronts, from its cultural heritage to the economy, and working in Russia’s favor.
Indeed, Russian aggression against Ukraine goes beyond military and security dimensions, argues Volodymyr Sheiko, Director General of the state-run Ukrainian Institute, which promotes cultural diplomacy. “Russia seeks to destabilize Ukraine and the international community with a wider arsenal… disrupting daily routines of Ukraine’s institutions and people,” he said in written answers to questions from TIME. He added that some of the Institute’s international partners are postponing cooperation until things “settle down.”
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/the-threat-of-a-russian-invasion-is-crushing-ukraines-economy-and-culture/ar-AAU2R09
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