Oksana: Yes, so when the war started in- when there was this explosion in Dubai, in Ukraine already appeared some funny videos. Well not funny but such videos about which we have the jar of pickles, and now there is such an anecdote of story that in Dubai a woman hit the missile by the jar of red caviar. <laughs>
Vic: Not with Dubai chocolate?
Oksana: No, no, actually yes, I don’t know what it is. But it’s because it’s jar, you know, so it should be something heavy to be more true. So, yes, it’s such a story.
Vic: And could you also tell me the phrase you mentioned earlier about being born with a shirt?
Oksana: Yes. So in Ukraine we have such expression, if a person for example was lucky during some, to avoid some very dangerous situation, we are saying that this person was born in a shirt.
Vic: What’s the expression in Ukrainian?
Oksana: Народжений у сорочці. It means that this person is very very lucky.
[..]
Oksana: All these funny stories, this humour, it helps to reduce the tension and reduce the dangers of all the stories which we really have here, so normal people can and do not lose the mind and not become crazy. This humour helps. It helps to like- it’s not so deep, not so dangerous and not so serious. Everyone understood that it’s really dangerous, but this humour helps and it’s like helped us to live, to go through all this and to continue to live our lives.
Vic: Is there any particular story that you’ve personally enjoyed?
Oksana: I don’t know <laughs>
Vic: Pes Patron?
Oksana: Pes Patron is very funny- no, it’s actually helped for children. They take him like a hero. For example, for my children, he is a hero. They are singing and it really helps a lot. I should think. Give me some minutes to think and after I will tell you. I should recall.
[..]
Oksana: About this Ghost of Kyiv. When there was such a news that he appeared and that he is defending us. Actually it was a very cheerful and gives some belief in people, belief in good, in something higher. That he dedicate his life to this, it was a big gratefulness inside to him and to all these people who do this because we actually don’t think. Sometimes you live your life and you don’t even realize how much these people do. These pilots, these guys. It’s showed us how much he have done, and it’s gave some hope that whatever could be we will have such strong people who will defend and who will be fighting for our country. Yes so I think the story with this guy, it was maybe the strongest one.
Vic: Do you think that the Ghost of Kyiv was just one person or a squadron of people sharing the name?
Oksana: I think there was a few people. I don’t know. First it was- no I thought that it was the one. But after I think it’s- no, it was emphasized a lot for sure, but I think it’s about meaning of all these people who defend our air and try to not let these missiles to hit their goals.
Vic: Do people still talk about heroes like the Ghost of Kyiv and Pes Patron in 2026?
Oksana: I don’t know. I think no. It’s much less than it was in the beginning of the war. Pes Patron could be at least some funny songs at school. But in real, no, I don’t know. I don’t hear a lot.
Vic: Why do you think that is?
Oksana: Everyone gets used to the war. How to say, I don’t know. Maybe we continue to learn to live our lives, to continue to live our lives. And we understood that we should survive somehow, even with war. So I think that’s why. Start to believe in yourself and believe in our ZSU. And yes, we continue to donate, to give money to this military. But mostly quietly, not so loud like it was in the beginning. Yes, everyone is helping. Most of the time it’s to their relatives or neighbours or someone who we know, and we send money to these people who we know who is on the war.
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