In Ukraine, Daily Life in the Face of War

Plus: how a Russian newspaper is covering the war; the Sunrise climate movement; and when Dickens almost lost his career. View in browser | Update your preferences Monday, February 28, 2022 In today’s newsletter: • How a Russian newspaper is covering the war • The Sunrise Movement’s plan to revolutionize climate politics • When Dickens nearly lost his career In Ukraine, Daily Life in the Face of War Through years of conflict, people in eastern Ukraine have sought a semblance of normal existence—one that’s now under siege. Nazar, a Ukrainian soldier stationed near Stanytsia Luhanska. In contested towns in eastern Ukraine, which were claimed by pro-Russian separatists in 2014 and then wrested back, people have been enduring the destabilizing realities of a Russian-backed assault for years. “Amid routinized brutality, they have tried to fashion some semblance of a normal existence,” Joshua Yaffa, one of our writers reporting on the ground in Ukraine right now, explains. “They’ve experienced war not as a grand struggle of civilizations but as something nasty and gruelling, to be managed and survived.” But now, in the face of a full invasion by the Russian military, “any pretense of normalcy has been ripped away.” Nastya, Masha, and Yana at an athletic center in Stanytsia Luhanska, where children take free gymnastics lessons. Still, for teachers, doctors, children, and others confronting war, life continues. “What’s most important is to carry on,” one soldier explains. In a striking collection of portraits, Mark Neville, a British-born photographer who lives in Kyiv and has been working in eastern Ukraine, shows the faces of that struggle. As Neville puts it, “All I want is for people who are looking at these pictures to recognize a version of themselves.” —Ian Crouch, newsletter editor Read the story More on the Ukraine Crisis Q. & A. How Russia’s Nobel-Winning Newspaper Is Covering Ukraine “We continue to call war war,” Dmitry Muratov, the editor of Novaya Gazeta, said. “We are waiting for the consequences.” By David Remnick Daily Comment Ties with Russia Compromise Israel’s Stance on Ukraine Putin’s invasion raises questions about whether protecting Jewish national interests eclipses democratic solidarity. By Bernard Avishai Get the in-depth analysis and on-the-ground reporting you need to understand the war in Ukraine. Subscribe today » Editor’s Pick Annals of Activism The Youth Movement Trying to Revolutionize Climate Politics Sunrise has already shifted the conventional wisdom about climate change. Now it wants to create a mass movement, combining street protest with policy negotiation, while there’s still time. By Andrew Marantz Cover Story The artist David Plunkert talks about “Putin’s Tracks,” his cover for this week’s issue. “I temper my emotional reaction to the news with what I imagine others are thinking about the same event,” he explains. “I also try to use visual elements that are familiar to most people, while also looking for some kind of conceptual or visual surprise.” Culture Dept. Books The Crisis That Nearly Cost Charles Dickens His Career The most beloved writer of his age, he had an unfailing sense of what the public wanted—almost. By Louis Menand On Television The Bland Agenda of “Pam & Tommy” The Hulu miniseries, starring Lily James and Sebastian Stan as Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee, is only superficially antic; its politics are quite normie. By Doreen St. Félix The Theatre Shifting Identities in Sanaz Toossi’s “English” In a play about a TOEFL class in Iran, speaking a second language isn’t just a way to say the same things differently but a way to be different. By Alexandra Schwartz Fun & Games Dept. Name Drop Play Today’s Quiz Can you guess the notable person in six clues or fewer? By Will Nediger Daily Cartoon Monday, February 28th By Avi Steinberg Crossword A Challenging Puzzle 1959 Gwendolyn Brooks poem set at a pool hall called the Golden Shovel: ten letters. By Natan Last Daily Shouts Ten Surprising Signs That She’s Into You There’s more than one way to show love. By Dahlia Gallin Ramirez P.S. Saeed Jones’s poem “Alive at the End of the World,” published in this week’s issue, evokes a moment both of dread and hope: The End of the World was a nightclub. Drag queens with machetes and rhinestoned machine guns guarded the red and impassable door on Friday nights. Today’s newsletter was written by Ian Crouch. Thanks for reading. Let us know your thoughts about today’s edition. Plus, browse more newsletters and invite a friend to sign up for The Daily. You’re receiving this e-mail because you signed up for The Daily from The New Yorker. Manage your preferences | View our Privacy Policy | Unsubscribe Copyright © Condé Nast 2022. One World Trade Center, New York, NY 10007. All rights reserved.