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((PLAYBOOK SLUG: Ukraine Long War
HEADLINE: Despite Peace Talks, Ukrainians Prepare for Long War
TEASER: Many locals say they will not support a peace deal that cedes land to Russia
PUBLISHED AT: 03/31/2022 6:05 p.m.
BYLINE: Heather Murdock
DATELINE: TERNOPIL, LVIV, Ukraine
VIDEOGRAPHER: Heather Murdock, Yan Boechat
VIDEO EDITOR:
SCRIPT EDITORS: Bowman, MAS
VIDEO SOURCE (S): VOA
PLATFORMS (mark with X): WEB __ TV _x_ RADIO __
TRT: 2:20
VID APPROVED BY: Jepsen
TYPE: TVPKG
EDITOR NOTES: ON THE WEB, THIS VIDEO CAN GO WITH JAMIE’S STORY SLUG: UKRAINE-RUSSIA-PEACE. IT WOULD NOT MAKE SENSE TO PUBLISH A WRITTEN VERSON OF THIS TV SCRIPT))
((INTRO: In western Ukraine, locals say despite ongoing peace talks between Russia and Ukraine, they are prepared for a long war. They say they will not accept a peace agreement that includes ceding territory to Russia, even if their leaders can eventually make a deal. VOA’s Heather Murdock reports from Ternopil and Lviv in Ukraine.
((NARRATOR:))
Here in Ternopil, a western Ukrainian city packed with displaced families, aid workers are preparing food, clothes and other necessities for local war victims, and to send to the east, where battles still rage despite ongoing peace talks.
Many say they don’t want a peace deal that means giving up land to Russia, and they are preparing to live in a country at war for months, or even longer.
((Ivanna Hoshii, Ternopil Resident)) ((Female, in Ukranian))
“We don’t want these peace talks to end in an agreement that would be bad for Ukraine. We want to free our land and for that we are ready to fight until the end.”
((NARRATOR:))
Religious leaders in the area echo the popular sentiment, but they worry about the devastating impact the war has already had on Ukrainian fighters and civilians, including millions who have fled their homes.
((Father Mykola Kwich, Military Chaplain)) ((Male, in Ukranian))
“War is about chaos and ruin. In the same way cities get ruined a person gets destroyed inside… After you come back from the war, you can’t be the same person.”
((NARRATOR))
Major cities in the east now appear abandoned in places and western cities like Lviv are overflowing with displaced people, many separated from their loved ones.
((Lyubava, Displaced Farmer)) ((Female in Ukranian))
“My daughter and grandchildren are in Slovakia. My older daughter is in Kyiv and me and my son-in-law are here in Lviv.”
((NARRATOR:))
She says she hopes the war will end soon because Lyubava, who preferred not to provide her last name, like so many other farmers, needs to start planting soon if she is to harvest this year.
Aid workers in Ternopil say they fear Ukraine could become “frozen” in an endless war.
And while they may reject the idea of giving up Ukrainian land, some volunteers say they still support peace talks.
((Father Roman Demush)) ((Male, in Ukranian))
“You always need to speak. Intelligent people should talk because human nature is designed so people can communicate. This is why we need to do everything we can to make a cease fire.”
((NARRATOR:))
He says when leaders negotiate, it mitigates the amount of violence on the ground. But other clergy warn that if a deal is reached, it will only be valuable if people keep the promises made in the pact.
((HEATHER MURDOCK VOA NEWS TERNOPIL AND LVIV, UKRAINE))
NewsML Media TopicsConflict, War and Peace
NetworkVOA
Embargo DateMarch 31, 2022 18:10 EDT
Brand / Language ServiceVoice of America - English
