Writing in Times of War: Oleksandr Mykhed on Losing Ukrainian Books to Russian Bombs

Beginning on Thursday, August 27, all days blur into one long, endless air raid alarm. 13 air alarms a day, lasting 872 minutes. The next day—12 alarms, lasting 634 minutes. The next—10 alarms, lasting 644 minutes. And so it goes every day. Russia sends drone after drone, forging an unbroken chain of threats. Explosions sound around-the-clock, becoming a constant of everyday life. It is as if bursts of life are trying to break through that constant blackness with their light. And in a single nig