I worry I wouldn’t be brave enough to take on Russia – as the Ukrainians are doing so courageously
I WAS talking to a young Ukrainian woman I know who lives near me.
Her husband is Ukrainian too and they’re expecting their first child in a couple of months. They were going to go back home so her mum could help with the baby but now they can’t.
She looked worried sick, so I reassured her that she’d be just fine having the baby here. She shook her head and said: “That is not why I worry. I worry for my dad. I think he might have to fight.”
“How old is he?” I asked, wincing.
Yes, thought so: He’s 55, the same as me. This was the moment the whole ghastly business really hit home. Obviously, I felt so sorry for her but now I saw how someone just like me, her dad, was potentially staring death in the face.
And I wondered what I’d do if I was in his shoes.
Like the vast majority of people reading this newspaper, my country has not been seriously militarily threatened in my lifetime. So I’ve never been asked — or told — to fight. If I was, I’d like to think I’d step up to the plate.
But to be honest, I wouldn’t bet on myself. I put myself in his shoes and wondered what I’d do if she found a way of getting me out of the war zone and over here.
Would I take that chance or would I stay and fight? If my own family, my children, were in direct danger at the hands of a Russian, or anybody else, there is no doubt in my mind I’d stay and fight, to the death if necessary.
But would I do it for the greater good, for my country? I hope I would, I really do. But I just don’t know if I’d be as brave and committed as all the Ukrainians we’ve seen taking up arms.
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A lot of us can — and do — give it the big ’un, beating our chests with national pride. But I’m not sure so many of us would be brave enough to take up arms in desperate defence of our country against a much mightier foe.
I’m not even sure I’d be brave enough to go to Ukraine as a journalist just now. I’ve been covering it all from the extravagant safety of our radio studios here, which has been a humbling privilege. If the BBC asked me to go off to Kyiv, I suppose I could refuse.
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But that would amount to hypocrisy as I make a living speaking to colleagues who do have the guts to go to these places. So I’d go, I think. But put it like this: I’m not heartbroken they haven’t asked me.
It would be a test I’ve flunked before. The week after 9/11, I was working at the BBC in London when a general call went out asking for anyone with an “I” visa for America to make themselves known.
The US had banned nearly all inward travel and the BBC was desperate to get people over there. Only those with these visas — which allow you to work there for a non-US company — were allowed in. I thought I was a big, brave journalist but this was the moment I realised I was nothing of the sort.
BRAVERY
Nobody knew if there was going to be a follow-up to 9/11. No one knew anything. The Americans were obviously scared. I was scared too. I checked the US visa in my passport. It was still valid. I kept my mouth shut and let my side down.
The more bravery I see from Ukrainians, and my fellow journalists, the more cowardly I suspect I might be.
I feel it when I see Russians protesting in Russia at what their country is doing in their name. Every day we report on these marches and every day we report on the number of marchers arrested.
What happens to these people? We airily assume those arrested are just given a quick kicking and released, as if that’s nothing, and then kind of forget about it.
I spoke to a couple of experts about this, a Russian and a Belarusian, who agreed on a couple of things.
Firstly, that arrested protesters probably do get a kicking. And secondly, if that’s all that happens to them, they consider themselves lucky. They could well be fined, they might be tried and imprisoned.
Who looks out for them? Who represents them?
It was like I could hear the shrugs of my interviewees over the phone. Those brave people take to Russian streets at their own risk.
Would I go out on the streets and protest if the consequence of doing so were so dire?
Again, I hope so. Again, I worry I wouldn’t be quite brave enough.
Boing boing! Salute the glorious Baggies
PUTIN insists his war is going exactly to plan.
His vastly greater armed forces have struggled against the Ukrainians; morale among them is poor; the whole world loathes him; and his own gangster oligarchs will soon be turning against him.
And yet, he says, all is progressing perfectly.
It’s almost comic — if you like your humour as black as night.
The man’s absurd . . . but absurdly dangerous with it.
I try to get inside his head by applying his kind of berserk logic to my own life. For example, my team, West Brom, once certainties for promotion, have lost six of their last seven games and are now unlikely to even make the playoffs.
It’s a disaster.
Or, as Vladimir might say, it’s an absolute triumph and going exactly as we might have prayed it would.
Right result at last
SOMETHING truly extraordinary happened this week: A number of sporting governing bodies actually did the right thing.
OK, they didn’t quite do the right thing at the first time of asking.
But they got round to it eventually, which makes a nice change.
First, Uefa said the Champions League Final couldn’t take place in St Petersburg but Russian teams could still compete in Uefa competitions.
The dogs in the street knew this didn’t go far enough and we all howled our dismay.
So then Uefa said Russian teams couldn’t compete after all.
Fifa, headed by president Gianni Infantino, said Russia could still compete in the World Cup but not as Russia. The dogs in the street knew this didn’t go far enough and we all howled our dismay.
So then Fifa said: “Right you are, Russia can’t compete in the World Cup after all.”
Then the International Paralympic Committee said Russian athletes could compete in the Winter Paralympics but not as Russians. At this point, the dogs in the street looked quizzically at each other and growled: “Hang on, what is this? Groundhog Day?”
And we all howled the same thing.
And sure enough, the International Paralympic Committee then ruled that Russians couldn’t compete in the Paralympics after all.
What are these people like? If I didn’t know better, I’d think they were only doing the right thing because they couldn’t get away with not doing the right thing.
Sir Gav it a go
IN March 2018, I honestly thought we’d seen off Putin for good.
In the aftermath of the appalling Salisbury nerve agent attacks, our then Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson really gave him both barrels.
“Frankly, Russia should go away and should shut up,” he boomed.
Honestly, I felt sure that would do the trick.
Sadly this has not proved to be the case but we salute Sir Gavin for his efforts. A knighthood is the least he deserves.
Myko is due a pint
I’VE got to tell you, I very nearly didn’t write this column — an awful thought for you, I know.
The thing is, my editor at The Sun sent me a picture of a Ukrainian politician who he said looked like me.
I was most offended, as I consider myself much better looking. I’ve decided to be grown-up about this, though.
For one thing, my loved ones saw the photo and agreed with the editor.
For another, Mykola Lukashu deserves my support.
It’s now my ambition to buy this long-lost brother of mine a drink one day.
On the cards
BEING a generous man, I offered to pay for my mum’s Senior Railcard this week.
It cost me 70 quid, which seemed a bit steep. When I asked her about it, she explained she’d chosen to go for a three-year railcard. Three years!
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I’m not being funny but she’s 83 this year and there are no rebates if, you know . . .
Still, I’ve let the matter go. Because this kind of optimism and positive thinking is exactly what we need in these darkest of times.
All you need to know about Russia's invasion of Ukraine
Everything you need to know about Russia's invasion of Ukraine...
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