Anti-personnel mines, the hell of the prisons, people displaced from towns and villages on the front lines of the war, the recovery of dead bodies. Finally, the efforts of diplomacy, the promises made by world leaders and the mission of Pope Francis’ special envoy. In this interview with the Apostolic Nuncio in Kyiv, Msgr. Visvaldas Kulbokas, SIR retraces the past 1000 days since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, marked on Tuesday 19 November. “Tuesday will be a very busy day of routine work,” the nuncio said. Indeed, there is a lot of work to be done. The doors of the nunciature are open to all, the telephone is always answered, representing an encounter, but most of all a listening ear.
“On Saturday”, says the Nuncio, “I spoke with two persons involved in setting up a special unit to search for the dead. Even recovering the body of a single person in order to return it to a family that has lost a son, or a daughter, takes an enormous amount of time and effort. I asked, ‘How many bodies have you recovered in the last 1,000 days? They replied, over 500. That’s a huge number. To help me understand their job, they showed me some video footage. Sometimes they make use of three or four drones to search for a body. Then they send a robot to the site, followed by a very delicate process of recovering the body. Because it’s too dangerous during the day, they often have to work overnight. In other words, every day is extremely strenuous.”
1000 days of large-scale invasion by Russia. What do you recall as the hardest moments, and which were the best?
The best moment was walking outside for the first time without fear of tripping on a landmine. That was May 2022. In fact, in February and March of the same year, landmines were scattered throughout Kyiv. But there were many moments of difficulty. Obviously, the first period came as a huge shock, the situation escalated very rapidly, and there wasn’t even time to actually find out whether Kyiv was under occupation. It was a period of major turmoil. There is another worrying issue that continues to this day. I am speaking of the situation of Ukrainian prisoners, both soldiers and civilians. We received reports of prisoners since the beginning of the war, which means that many of them have been imprisoned for 1,000 days. Unfortunately, almost nothing can be done for them. It is a terribly upsetting fact.
Not to mention all that captivity entails.
Two weeks ago, a new report released by the UN Independent International Commission found that the systematic waves of attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure – a massive attack was reported across most of the territory on Tuesday – amount to war crimes.
The conditions of the captives, however, are equally serious. They are tortured, deprived of all communication, deprived of hygiene, deprived of so many things. That too is a crime against humanity.
This situation is made worse by the fact that nobody knows what to do to ensure their release, including the release of civilian prisoners. I’m afraid that even if the war were to stop, for many of them, and there are many thousands of them, there is little hope that they will be freed, because there are no international instruments nor sufficient room for bilateral dialogue to rescue them.
1,000 days of systematic attacks, each and every day. How is Ukraine holding out?
It depends on the region. In some areas the attacks are somewhat fewer, but the situation is different in areas closer to the front line. The reports I have from the local communities in these towns and villages close to the front line are of people who were forcibly displaced and are left with nothing. They have no bread, no running water, no clothes, no electricity, no other chance of survival. Many volunteers, from Caritas and other humanitarian organisations, have come to their aid.
We can’t say it’s hell, because we don’t know exactly what hell is, but it’s probably not much different from the plight of these people.
What is the general feeling in Ukraine at the moment?
There is clearly a tremendous feeling of exhaustion, especially in the knowledge that there is little hope.
When foreign leaders say ‘I will do everything to stop the war’, we know from experience that it is not so easy to keep such promises and that what happens in reality is quite different.
As a result, the Ukrainian people have stopped deluding themselves. In fact, I believe that even the mission of the Church is not to encourage illusions, but rather to proclaim the Gospel and to give people hope in the face of widespread despair. All that can be said to the people today is that nobody can guarantee their physical survival, the survival of their country, or even the support of the international community. But we can continue saying that our Lord God loves us, He loves us all, even when we are forgotten or abandoned or alone or in trouble or killed. This message of love and hope is the most important task of the Church and of all the churches.
International diplomacy, with its declarations and telephone calls, has never been so active. In the eyes of the people, these proposals seem to be a prelude to capitulation. What is meant by a “just peace”?
A “just peace” implies a peace that is real, not a false peace, not an imaginary peace, that is, the fruit of someone’s imagination.
A “just” peace also means that those who are responsible, those who have waged war, in some way acknowledge their guilt, because this acknowledgement is also a formal declaration of their intention not to pursue this course of action in the future.
A just peace is also one that is not just declared on paper, but comes from a mindset shift. A single decision is not enough to bring peace, just as the actions of a single politician cannot be held accountable. True peace requires a change of heart on the part of everyone. I too feel this moral obligation. We are all called before God to face up to our responsibilities: what have we done, what have we not done? Lastly, it is necessary to proclaim peace as a greater good, far greater than any political motive or military objective. The concept of a just peace therefore encompasses this proclamation, and it is the Church’s mission to awaken human consciences to the fact that peace is a reality willed by God and rewarded by God in eternity.
With regard to Pope Francis’ diplomatic initiative in Ukraine, what are your thoughts?
First of all, I remain firmly convinced that there is something that the Holy See can and must do, even if it has neither an army nor abundant resources, but only the Faith and the Word. There is no knowing when we will see any results. The mission of the Holy Father’s Special Envoy is underway and, since its inception, it has been pursuing humanitarian objectives such as the repatriation of children and the release of prisoners.
Although limited, these objectives are extremely important because they maintain or create pathways for dialogue. Even if the results so far are not so visible, it is important that we continue pursuing this path.
In fact, I would argue that the mission of the Special Envoy needs to be strengthened and supported. First of all, by sustaining him in our prayers and intentions and not leaving him alone. In this regard, I believe there is an urgent need to create Christian think tanks with qualified experts to develop visions, ideas and projects.
