Most people reading this text have probably never been to Kyiv or ever considered going there and could not tell you much about this ancient city.

To me, it is one of the world’s best-kept secrets and a magical city. My favourite metropolis on Earth. I had been there for many years and then the Russians invaded. I am confident that we will be back there next year and I believe many people will come and explore this creative hub when the dust has settled.

Kyiv has been referred to as “the next Berlin” for some time now. I have been to Berlin quite a few times and in my view, Kyiv is way more exciting and seriously beautiful.

I was there first almost 15 years ago. I had my old Pentax 35mm camera with me and took some pics. The winter snow made everything feel like a fairytale. Of course, now a nightmare is occurring there. But this war will end next year and Ukraine will rebuild and prosper. That is what I believe.

No one could have imagined the pandemic and the global lockdowns. And no one foresaw this Russian war in Ukraine and what it would mean for the world.

Independence Square in Kyiv. The white arch in the middle is crowned with the sculpture of archangel Michael. It is a symbolic reconstruction of ancient gates, including one that led to medieval Kyiv in the ninth to 11th centuries. (Photo: Ronnie Apteker)

Christmas in Kyiv. (Photo: Ronnie Apteker)

Ukraine is one of the world’s largest food producers and it is India’s big challenger in the domain of software outsourcing. Ukraine is a tech hub and it overflows with creativity and design flair.

Drawcard for stars

Eating out in Kyiv is just incredible. No one who visits there can believe it. Big Hollywood movie shoots had become a common fixture in the Kyiv city centre, and there were weekly news reports about the stars who were spotted out and about, from Tom Cruise to the Red Hot Chili Peppers to SA’s Black Coffee, and more.

Kyiv is one of the world’s best-kept secrets and a magical city. (Photo: Ronnie Apteker)

Big Hollywood movie shoots had become a common fixture in the Kyiv city centre. (Photo: Ronnie Apteker)

The weekend before the war started, we had booked to see Louis CK. Yup, Kyiv was on a path to becoming the next rocking hotspot in Europe. When the war ends, I believe that this will be accelerated.

Let me share with you some insights about Ukraine and its people, because the West predicted that Ukraine was going to fall in three days, and now everyone is in awe of this nation. Ukrainians are brave and determined and they are fighting against pure evil for their right to exist and to uphold freedom and democracy.

Ukraine is not a perfect place. Far from it. Ukraine is said to be corrupt and difficult to do business in. Yes, this is true. But things were improving, and since 2014 Ukraine had been on a good path and the country was transforming. It should be allowed to continue its journey so that it can mature and become an exciting new mainstream destination in Europe.

A nightmare is occurring in Ukraine. But this war will end next year and the country will rebuild and prosper. (Photo: Ronnie Apteker)

Sophia Square in Kyiv. (Photo: Ronnie Apteker)

Ukraine is beautiful and innocent, and it has a sense of humour and spirit that goes against the stupid stereotypes that the world seems to embrace. I laugh a lot in Kyiv. More than anywhere else.

Let me take you through one particular quirky, funny experience. There is no political correctness in Ukraine and it is a place where people are making up their own stories and creating and building. 

Sophia Square in Kyiv. (Photo: Ronnie Apteker)

The entrepreneurial spirit in Ukraine is humming and, even in the war, we are seeing so much innovation. (Photo: Ronnie Apteker)

I know of a dozen unicorns in the tech world, for example, that are from Ukraine. They are transforming, and a country like Israel, which is known as a start-up nation, is a big inspiration to Ukraine. The entrepreneurial spirit in Ukraine is humming and even in the war, we are seeing so much innovation that has to do with them winning the war. 

So, about four years ago, I get hosted at a meeting of successful IT entrepreneurs. They show me around some creative offices and the vibe is cool. Someone pipes up, as I often hear, “You are from Africa? But you don’t look African.”

“I know. I know. I was born in Cape Town, in South Africa. I am from Africa.” Everyone is chuckling, and it is a silly joke that never seems to go away. So, this IT guy says to me, “Here in Ukraine there is no political correctness — you can say anything you like.” (A fact of which I was well aware.)

A winter scene on a street in Kyiv. (Photo: Ronnie Apteker)

Outside St Michael’s golden-domed monastery in Kyiv. (Photo: Ronnie Apteker)

He then asks me: “Is the business climate in SA like Ukraine or America?” I tell him it is like America: you can’t joke about race, religion, sex, etc. And just as I answer, two women walk past. He calls them over. Everyone speaks English. He asks one woman: “Do we have sexual harassment in offices here in Kyiv?” Her answer? “Not enough.” We all pack up laughing.

And yes, I know, this joke is going to offend some people reading this. If it does offend you, then don’t bother going to Ukraine, because people there joke a lot. About everything. Even more so during this insane and evil war. In fact, if you follow some of the government’s Twitter accounts it is amazing to see the sense of humour they have during this nightmare invasion.

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A love of laughter

They love to laugh in Ukraine. Where does this sense of humour come from? Like the Jewish people, they have a long history of suffering, and humour is a coping mechanism. Many of the original Jewish comics in Hollywood from way back when came from Odesa.

St Michael’s golden-domed monastery in Kyiv. The original cathedral was destroyed by the Soviet Union in the 1930s. It was rebuilt in 1999, after Ukraine’s independence in 1991. (Photo: Ronnie Apteker)

In fact, many famous people have Ukrainian roots. The list is seriously long and includes Bob Dylan, Steven Spielberg, David Copperfield, Dustin Hoffman, Steve Wozniak and Sylvester Stallone. Fiddler on the Roof was written in Kyiv and is set in a village outside the city.

The war is showing who Ukrainians are. They are brave and determined. There are no victims in Ukraine. They are living life and are giving Russia the middle finger.

Yes, there is death and destruction and it is a nightmare any way you look at it. But they will never give up this fight and they will win this war. Ukrainians don’t want Russia in their lives and whatever shared history they did have with Russia is now behind them. Permanently and forever.

They are their own nation with their own language and their own culture. They are not The Ukraine. They are Ukraine, a country in Europe, larger than France or Germany. They were independent a long time ago, before the Russians took them over, and have been independent again since 1991 and they will stay like that. Fascinating to think that Kyiv existed long before Moscow. The Russians originated from Kyivan Rus’, the place the Vikings founded.

Not everyone is fighting on the front lines, but the country is united like never before and everyone is involved. (Photo: Ronnie Apteker)

Besides that, the West said that Ukraine would not last a week when the war started; there were also predictions of anarchy and Mad Max scenarios. I was in Kyiv in August/September and it is quite the opposite. Everyone is helping and everyone is doing something to help the war effort.

Not everyone is fighting on the front lines, but the country is united like never before and everyone is involved. This says something about their society. They are kind and they are hard-working. And that is not a function of government. That is about the spirit of the people. And it is hard not to notice.

It is one of the things that I love about life in Kyiv.

As the US historian Professor Timothy Snyder says, “Everybody I know in Ukraine is involved in the war somehow. A large number of men and women I know are in the army or in the territorial defence. And those who aren’t are generally all doing something, which of course is part of the reason and mystery as to why the Ukrainians are winning this war, is that people are so active in civil society looking to fill the gaps that the state can’t fill. That’s a story which is kind of hard to write. It’s a fundamental feature of Ukrainian society.”

This war is about good versus evil. Ukraine, with all its problems, is fighting with truth on its side. It posed no threat to Russia and was not doing anything bad to Russia. Its gigantic, evil neighbour, on the other hand, said it is “denazifying” Ukraine.

Think of how insane this is, especially when one considers that Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky is Jewish. And so is the minister of defence and many other Ukrainian leaders.

If Ukraine loses this war, which I don’t believe will happen, then evil wins, and what kind of world is that, then? A world that will go to hell. Yes, the stakes here are sky-high for the entire world.

Kyiv has many interesting historical monuments. Golden Gate, built in 1037 by Yaroslav the Wise, holds a special place on this list. (Photo: Ronnie Apteker)

As I am writing this, an app on my phone tells me that electricity has just come back on in Kyiv in the area where our apartment building is. For the past few weeks, there have been rolling blackouts because of the destruction of the electrical infrastructure by the evil Russians. And yet, with all of this hardship, the Ukrainians are still managing to laugh. One joke I read online said that if Russia leaves Ukraine with no electricity then in nine months there will be more Ukrainians.

US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin said: “Russia’s atrocities have further united the nations of goodwill that stand with Ukraine. So we are here because rules matter. Because rights matter. And because sovereignty matters. We would all be less secure in a world where big powers can assault their peaceful neighbours and trample their borders by force. And the free citizens have an inalienable right to govern themselves and to choose their own future.”

The war may not be ending soon, but it will end at some point next year. Of that, I am confident. The extent of the pain and destruction will be hard to comprehend. But Ukraine will get help from the West and it will rebuild. And Kyiv will for sure become one of the hottest cities in Europe.

See you there. DM

Ronnie Apteker is a South African internet pioneer, author and film producer.