The Human Toll of War in Ukraine

Terrell Starr with Irina Klimova at a bus line in Lviv, Ukraine.

War has come to Ukraine.

Black Diplomats has been on the ground in Ukraine from the beginning of the show. We’ve spent the last year talking to journalists, diplomats, policy experts, military strategists, and others about exactly this scenario. We heard for months that the Ukrainian military was prepared for a Russian invasion and that the citizens of Ukraine would stand and fight. All of it turned out to be true.

Today we’re taking a break from the politics to focus on the real cost of war. Irina Klimova was being treated for Hodgkin’s lymphoma when the war started and her doctors told her they needed her bed to treat incoming soldiers. Now she has moved to Lithuania with her mother and her 5 year-old son Ivan, leaving her husband behind to comply with the draft laws.

While the media replays speeches from sanctimonious world leaders, the people of Ukraine are suffering everyday. Terrell has been reporting from the war zone, but his personal efforts have focused on helping friends, including Irina.

If you’re new to Black Diplomats this is a great way to get to know us. Terrell is a recognized expert on nuclear and foreign policy in the post-Soviet countries, and we spend most of our time talking about the global chess match.

But today is about the people caught in the middle.

Thank you for listening.