The girl who kept texting

One of many is the stories that won't let you go. Something relatively small that brings the war so close. Bombs, rockets, destruction; it's too much to comprehend. But this app traffic brings the war straight to your heart.

Olaf Koens, correspondent, was a guest on Humberto last night and told a story about a Ukrainian girl. Her father had to fight for their country and like any daughter, she was worried. So she texted daily. ‘Dad, are you okay?’ ‘Dad, we miss you.’ ‘Dad, you need to come back soon.’ After a while, there were no more texts back, so she persisted. That dad had to respond. That he had to let her know he was alive. Something, he had to say something.

Then came the message. Dad was no more. The fight had been too heavy. He had given his life for his country. Dad was no more, but the texts remained. ‘Dad, you are dead, they say.’ ‘Dad, we buried you today.’ ‘Dad, we miss you so terribly.’

I hope someone sends the message of these texts to Vladimir Putin. Who knows, this might be the secret code that can break the lock around his heart.

Image: Humberto