What struck me the most was the sign from a boy of about four years old: ‘I want to hug my dad!’ You cant hold back the tears.
Derk Boswijk
In recent days, at the invitation of Ukrainian parliament member Oleksiy Goncharenko, I attended the Black Sea Security Forum in Odessa. I had met Goncharenko during a previous visit to Ukraine. The forum was entirely focused on the war, with specific attention to the strategic challenges around the Black Sea. The event took place in the largest city on this sea: the beautiful Odessa, which in terms of allure and architecture is not inferior to Vienna.
This was not an official working visit on behalf of the House of Representatives, which meant I had to organize and finance everything myself. The advantage of that is that you have more freedom of movement and are not bound by the sometimes restrictive security protocols that apply to official visits. It was precisely because of this that I could move more freely within Ukrainian society.
On Thursday, May 29, Ascension Day, I had to be at Schiphol at 5:00 AM. Via Warsaw, I flew to Chisinau, the capital of Moldova, after which I traveled by bus to Odessa, a long journey. During this trip, I met several other participants at the forum: two parliamentarians from Denmark, a diplomat from Lithuania, and a group of American military experts. Enough to talk about. Around 10:00 PM, I arrived at my hotel. Hardly out of the shower, the air raid alarm went off on my phone. We had to go to the shelter: that night there were 90 drones (!) heading for Odessa. One of the targets turned out to be the sorting center of the postal company Nova Post, a clearly civilian target. The Ukrainian armed forces managed to shoot down 56 of them, but the sorting center still went up in flames.
Because the formal program of the forum did not start until the next day at 12:00 PM, I had arranged an appointment through the Ukrainian embassy in The Hague with the ‘Prosecutor-General’ of the Odessa region. He and his team are responsible for investigating Russian war crimes. After a brief introduction and a presentation at the office, he took me to various locations in Odessa where Russia, just like that night, has hit civilian targets: ruins of apartments, heavily damaged hotels, and offices. We ended at the port of Odessa, from where Ukrainian grain is shipped around the world. Just a few days earlier, two Russian ballistic missiles had struck there, killing three port workers, civilians. I saw the impact site and the destruction with my own eyes. Over more than six hectares, shards were scattered, and windows of offices up to 300 meters away were destroyed. I spoke with colleagues of the deceased port workers and was able to express my condolences to them on site. Their reaction to this aggression? Not to be intimidated, just to continue with their work. Intimidation is the goal of these attacks, but the outcome is the opposite: an unprecedented resilience, as I had also seen earlier in Kyiv, and now saw again everywhere.
Later, I spoke with the management of the port of Odessa. What stood out: there are still no contacts with the port of Rotterdam. While we could learn so much from each other, especially in the area of economic development and security. Homework for when I return.
The forum itself took place in the impressive opera house of Odessa. Not only because of its beauty, but especially because it is one of the few large buildings that is still undamaged and has a suitable shelter. An announcement that was casually mentioned at the opening, but in fact reflects a bizarre reality.
Over two days, there were panel discussions with military experts and well-known names such as Mike Pompeo (former Secretary of State under Trump) and former president Petro Poroshenko, whom I was able to speak with during a coffee break. Those informal moments are always the most valuable for me: easy contact with fellow parliamentarians from Ukraine, the Baltic and Scandinavian countries, and American congress members. Military personnel and companies working with AI and drones were also well represented.
That afternoon, during a less interesting session in the program, I visited the International Humanitarian University in Odessa. This university had also been previously hit by a Russian missile attack. The reconstruction was directly seized to make the building energy-independent, so that education can continue even during power outages. The stories of students and teachers were impressive, but one story stood out: a teacher who was severely injured in November and lost her home is now back to teaching. Unbelievable.
The next morning began with a ‘Prayers Breakfast’: an ecumenical gathering where prayers were said together during breakfast and gratitude to Christ was central. An encouraging moment, especially in this dark time for Ukraine. Then followed another day full of forum activities. In particular, the speeches of Republican Americans remained fascinating: they convincingly stated that Trump has a brilliant plan and promised that NATO support and support for Ukraine are part of it. The Ukrainians applauded politely, but I saw some disbelief among other Europeans – which I share.
On Sunday, June 1, we left early for the Mykolajiv region, which was heavily affected in 2022 and where the front is still nearby. We could not get as close to the front as originally intended, for fear of drones equipped with fiber optic cables sometimes as long as 40 kilometers. These drones cannot be disrupted with ‘jammers’, equipment that normally disrupts the radio signal and thus the control of drones. This has made neutralizing drones even more difficult. The city of Mykolajiv, sharing the same name as the region, was our first stop. Along the way, we saw the scars of war: makeshift bunkers, dragons teeth, barbed wire overgrown with rapeseed and poppies. Yet it was also noticeable that despite the Russian threat being relatively close, ordinary life cautiously continues: roads are being repaired and the police are checking for speed.
In Mykolajiv, we attended a weekly meeting of relatives of missing or imprisoned Ukrainian soldiers. Because Russia shares little information and the Red Cross often has no access to prisoner camps, thousands of families are in uncertainty. It is estimated that around 90,000 Ukrainian soldiers are in Russian captivity. For three years, their relatives have gathered every week, rain or shine, with photos, flags, and signs. Just this Sunday, two young men who had just been released were present. They told us, with the help of a translator, about the horrors they had experienced. One of them is now back in service with the Ukrainian army. When the crowd of about 250 people sang the national anthem together, it was already impressive. But what struck me the most was the sign from a boy of about four years old: ‘I want to hug my dad!’ — you cant hold back the tears. At that moment, the Ukrainian army also pulled off a feat: with a large-scale drone attack, they possibly destroyed more than 40 aircraft scattered across Russia, including strategic bombers.
Later that day, we spoke with the mayor of Mykolajiv, who played a crucial role in the defense of the city in the early stages of the large-scale invasion. Unlike the nearby Cherson, Mykolajiv was never occupied. Notably, about 80% of the population speaks Russian, yet they absolutely do not want to live under Russian rule despite the continuous claims from the Kremlin. We also discussed reconstruction, demining, and tackling corruption.
We then visited various locations in the region where war crimes had taken place. The day ended with a visit to the ‘Rebel Volunteers’, a young volunteer organization that collects medical supplies and fuel for the front at a secret location (in a basement with low ceilings). Young twenty-somethings keep things running here. Their dedication is impressive and inspiring.
In the evening, we returned to Odessa. I could immediately pack my suitcase. Everyone was a bit on edge about what the night would bring in terms of Russian reaction to the huge strategic blow that Ukraine had dealt earlier that day, but notably, the last night of my stay in Odessa was the first where the air raid alarm did not go off. The next morning, I left for Moldova to then fly back to the Netherlands via Poland. Just in time to be back in The Hague for my necessary obligations. With new impressions, information, contacts, and especially renewed motivation to continue supporting the Ukrainian people from the House of Representatives.
Derk Boswijk, CDA Member of Parliament and spokesperson for Foreign Affairs