In Russia’s ‘blitz’ of Ukraine, the question of appeasement is back

BBC:

Following another week of intensive and lethal Russian bombardment of Ukraine’s cities, a composite image has been doing the rounds on Ukrainian social media.

Underneath an old, black-and-white photo of Londoners queuing at a fruit and vegetable stall surrounded by the bombed-out rubble of the Blitz, a second image – this time in colour – creates a striking juxtaposition.

Taken on Saturday, it shows shoppers thronging to similar stalls in a northern suburb of the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, while a column of black smoke rises ominously in the background.

“Bombs can’t stop markets,” reads the caption linking the two images.

The night before, as the city’s sleep was interrupted once again by the now all-too-familiar booms of missile and drone strikes, two people were killed and nine others injured.

The implication is clear. Rather than destroying public morale, Russia’s dramatic ramping up of attacks on Ukrainian cities is conjuring a spirit of resilience reminiscent of 1940s Britain.

When I visited the market – with the black fumes still billowing from the missile strike on a nearby warehouse – that sense of fortitude was evident.

But there was plenty of fear, too.