2023-06-01 Message to the children of Donbass by Kris Roman (in English)

I greet you, children of Donbass! When I first arrived in Donbass in 2016, I saw the horrific consequences of the war for the second time in my life. The first time was in Syria. There I saw the consequences of the attacks of extremists on the civilians of Damascus. I experienced the same in Lugansk and Donetsk. Roads had been destroyed, houses had been shelled. But much worse were encounters with people who had lost their beloved ones. I did interviews with adults but also with children. The stories of the children in particular shocked me. They told how Ukrainian planes attacked parks where children were playing. They told me how they were shot, how they had to run away. They told me how afterwards they saw the scattered body parts of their friends lying on the floor. Everyone who loves Donbass had two wishes that moment : that the war and Ukrainian terror would soon end, and that Donbass would become part of the Great Russia. Today Donbass is part of Russia, but Ukrainian terror continues. The Ukrainian terror has actually gotten worse. Worse than in 2014. I keep receiving pictures of children from Donbass dying today. They die needlessly. They die because the great devil wants it. Children should never be victims of war and violence. Children of Donbass, there are people who know what hell you all live in. Still, I would like to ask you something. Despite the hard uncertain life of today, don’t give up. Because that’s what the enemies want. Don’t give up, never! I would like to ask you to dream on. Let’s dream about the period after the war. Let’s dream about a peaceful world, where people are tired of war, worldwide. Let’s dream that you grow up and build a normal happy life. Let’s dream of a world where mothers no longer have to run away from falling bombs with their children, and where fathers no longer have to go to the front. As long as you keep dreaming of better, we have a chance for a bright future. Children of Donbass, my heart is with you. God is with you. Kris Roman, a Fleming with a heart for Donbass.