Oxfordours*

I can't help but share my opinion. Late, late in the evening, after the lecture, discussions, and all the subsequent (interesting) conversations that I don't know when I will have time to share ("decolonization" of Western institutions in the current "war of narratives" is a truly profound and inexhaustible topic, it's time to write a dissertation, not a post on Facebook! )) - when everyone had left, satisfied and happy, a group of Oxfordians walked me to my apartment through the empty night streets, telling me stories along the way - here is the college where Boris Johnson studied, whom you love in Ukraine, but we don't like much, here in the 17th century 3 Catholic monks were burned - and over there is the north, where we no longer live.

“Why?” I did not understand.

“It's very expensive. The most expensive villas, only oligarchs live there.”

"What oligarchs?" I didn't understand again.

Russian, of course. Dad flies around on business, mom runs the house. Because for Masha, Dasha, and Volodya to study at Eton, they need to be enrolled in a decent, private school at the age of 5. So they all settled here.

"Wow!" I shook my head. "So you, then, also need the Ukrainian Armed Forces here…”

“With all due allowance for British humor, for the first time in a year I saw with my own eyes what I had only guessed about before: in the countries of the "old aristocracy" Russian money do not so much seduce, but rather push away locals, like Ukrainians are pushed away by Tagil in Turkish hotels”

And then the grown-up, respectable gentlemen suddenly grabbed my hands from both sides.

“Oh yes! Please!”

“We can't wait, we have only hope for you!”

“Do not hesitate, for God's sake, you can just take a direct flight, Bakhmut - Oxford”

“On the same aircraft! Why do you think we gave them to you? It was a return ticket!”

And, with all due allowance for British humor, for the first time in a year I saw with my own eyes what I had only guessed about before: in the countries of the "old aristocracy" Russian money do not so much seduce, but rather push away locals, like Ukrainians are pushed away by Tagil** in Turkish hotels.

So I will reiterate: no, they are not helping us out of sympathy or pity for us, but out of hope for themselves.

Glory to the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

*by analogy with Krymnash — a Russian neologism that arose from the celebration of the annexation of Crimea 

**Tagil is the name given to Russians, residing in other countries, who are constantly drinking, swearing, shouting and getting into fights.

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About the author. Oksana Zabuzhko, writer.

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