Ghost of Kyiv revealed

Yes, it is very true that similar stories are shadowed with some extra/spare details, or with rumors.
I guess even people of Kiev knew that, but at the same time they did have a faith. They did need in that.
I think I understand them.

Do thank God today in Kharkiv is more quiet, than it was two months ago. It's not stable completely, dangers are out there, but not as it was the days when trhee or four air jets visited every morning and every evening, and when the rockets and bombs were using constantly. I remember myself then just praying, and staying near my father. He cannot go fast, he can barely go to another room. (He had a severe heart attack about six years ago, and since then each year he gets worse and worse.) He didn't plan to hide, and it would be extremely hard to transport him. Plus to it, he decisively refured to be evacuated no matter how strongly I pleased him to do this. Of course, it wouldn't be easy either. Anyway, all I could do was to stay near my father and praying. I knew it could be the last days. That was indeed horrible... About two weeks had passed since the day of invasion, and after then I could get quite stronger morally and stable spiritually.

People of Kiev, and especially the north of it, and the north regions to Kiev as Chernihiv, Sumy, etc were terribly, really terribly suffered. I think it is known for now. From the territory of Belarus the rockets, different launcher systems, jets, aircrafts, etc were sent to annihilate people of Ukraine.

I used the word 'annihilate' not just for no reason. No, I think it was intentional act, because it seems like for their logic, the empire one, "to destroy Ukraine is to build Russia"... Actually, before 24/02 many people in Ukraine had never even had any intentions to think badly about russians. Just there were no reasons. But for the true, there had to be reasons to hate russia. I mean people should have hated it. They had better hate them. The history of Ukraine demostrates that how many times Russians tried to bring bad to us. We thought it was just occasions, faults, mistakes. But it was the biggest mistake for us to be so loyal and positive. All bets have turned to zeros.

Can't say I know this reporter very well, but it is true that he is a well-known journalist. Anyway, most of his material is with what I do agree. At least, this is one of interpretation of the today's events.

www.newyorker.com/news/essay/the-war-in-ukraine-is-a-colonial-war