@cryptotexty 22 December 2025

BlaBlaCar story. Ipso victim The wheels were spinning fast as the car confidently bounced over the potholes of Donbas and Barvinkove. Ahead lay at least a 20-hour drive one way, and then the same again back. Roads always give you that sense of perspective and adventure. Henri di Fore, a ginger cat was traveling with me. It was pure stress for him, and he climbed out of his box right away. The whole way he sat in my lap — only when I rolled down the window and lit a cigarette he jumped off, run around the cabin, and meowed loudly, as if protesting for a healthy lifestyle. Quick coffee stop in Izium with French volunteers, a hot dog and coffee at an OKKO station in Kharkiv, and then the long way to Kyiv. “Di Foret” because he was found in the forest. In Kyiv he’ll definitely have a better life.

In Kyiv I slept a few hours and continued the journey in another car. I thought long and hard about switching the cars — with all these power outages the situation is unpredictable. But the savings won out. Even with some stations jacking prices up to 20 UAH/kWh, it’s still way cheaper to drive on electric vehicle. On BlaBlaCar the passenger only appears in Khmelnytskyi, so I can take any route I want. I charge in Berdychiv, at a new station somewhere on the roadside — a place with not even a café nearby. Next stop is the small, slightly mystical town of Liubar. At least its name — a town most of my readers have never even heard of — preserves centuries of grandeur and the memory of its founder, Prince Liubart. I’ve been there many times and always stop at the “Dok” petrol station, which also has a charger. First thing — the power goes out. The station runs on a generator, but I can set it to a third of the power and still charge. They make tasty burgers there, and they also sell the firm “Liubar” cheese — the station owner also owns the dairy plant. This little station is completely on par with the country’s top chains. I see they’re already building a dedicated cheese shop next door. It’s nice to watch local business grow and create infrastructure at the same time. Because apart from that place, I honestly don’t know what else to recommend seeing in Liubar…Next charging stop — Oasis Mall in Khmelnytskyi, where everything is already so Christmas-like. You feel as if you’ve stepped into another reality. By midnight I reached where I needed to be. A day and a half later — the return trip. I had posted the ride on BlaBlaCar well in advance, so there were lots of passengers: someone constantly getting off, someone getting on. Only one guy was going the whole long way with me to Donbas, but we didn’t really talk — he clearly needed to catch up on sleep. I never force conversation anyway. And frankly, I like driving alone, even without music, in silence. But this story is about a different passenger. “Mr. Andrii,” he addresses me respectfully even over the phone, before we meet. I pick him up on the outskirts of a village near Kyiv. “I just sold my Tesla Model 3,” he says as we switch cars. “What did you get instead?” “Bought the wife a brand-new BMW X3 from the showroom.” “Why from the showroom? Not worried that you overpaid?” “Well, there’s the warranty, and I’m sick of running around repair shops. I’ll buy myself another electric car later, but also new from the dealer.” The man is an engineer, intelligent, middle class. “What’s going to happen to the TCC after the war?” he suddenly asks. (Note: TCC - Territorial center of complectation - army body which is responsible for mobilization and hiring new recruits) “Nothing much. They’ll demobilize most of them,” I reply, understanding that the question was really about something else and that he probably hoped for a different answer.Then he very diplomatically muses about the abuses of the TCC. “But you probably have a reservation, right?” “Yes, personally I’ve never had any problems. Just show the papers and that’s it. But then you look at what’s happening online… Such rudeness!” Of course the TCC aren’t angels, but Russian IPSO is working hard too (Note: IPSO - informational-psychological special operation) — that’s the conclusion he (probably) reaches during our talk. Meanwhile in my head I’m recalling a recent idea from one writer about creating “TCC ultras.” I’m also thinking about the authorities’ serious failure in information policy when even people like him — thoroughly patriotic and civically active — have a negative view of the TCC and mobilization.Technical elite, genuine Ukrainian, extremely polite (“Mr. Andrii, Mr. Andrii”), generous (bought me a hot dog and coffee at the gas station) — he definitely won’t be writing treasonous comments. But he doesn’t just fear the TCC; he despises it. Finding a solution goes beyond this short text. But thoughts like his are far from isolated. They create space for the so-called “draft-dodgers’ party,” whose representatives have long been active, while military people currently have zero political opportunities. More military people in power — from local administrations to ministerial posts — that could be a true national unity government. But even those thoughts fade into the background as sleep and fatigue increasingly take control of my mind. Daylight again, the sun is shining. But in Donbas it’s colder. Just a day ago I was stepping out for a smoke in a T-shirt; now I’m cold even in a jacket. That’s the climatic contrast of our big Ukraine.The legendary shawarma at Sloviansk bus station puts an end to my 44-hour journey.