Reposted from another author:
I received a link to this story few days ago and felt I had to share it with English-speaking community, so I took time to translate it.
Please take time to read and hopefully you will feel like sharing it in your circles.
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Hans de Borst, whose 17 year old daughter Elsemiek de Borst was killed in the shot down MH17 plane, wrote a letter addressed to Vladimir Putin, President of Russia:
"I thank you very much, Vladimir Putin, separatist leaders and Ukrainian government, for murdering my beloved and only daughter Elsemiek. She was 17. She wanted to become an architect.
Gentlemen, I hope you are proud to have killed my daughter and tomorrow you’ll be able to look in the mirror. I hope this letter will reach you, maybe in English, and, being intellectuals, you’ll be able to read it.
Thanks again. Best wishes.
Elsemiek’s father, Hans de Borst,
whose life is ruined."
Ukrainian citizen, Alexandra Kovalyova, wrote him a letter.
Dear Hans de Borst,
Perhaps you will never see this letter and perhaps this is even for the better.
I am very sorry that your daughter died in Boeing 777 downed by Russian terrorists over my country. Unlike Russia, my country never waged wars and lived through terrorist attacks. That’s why every death for us is a terrible shock. That’s why Ukrainians gather these days in front of the Embassy of Netherlands, bringing piles of flowers, candles and toys for killed children, for your daughter too. I know you must be thinking we cannot imagine your feelings now. You are right. But we are honest in our feelings.
My name is Alexandra, I live in Ukraine and when there’s a thunderstorm at night, I wake up in cold sweat, dreading that my town is being bombed.
You mentioned your daughter was 17 and she wanted to become an architect.
Please meet Sergey Nigoyan. He was 21 and the only son in his family. He has fallen the first victim of our ex-dictator Victor Yanukovich. After him there were 100 more, shot to death, blown up or burned. Many of them were the only sons, daughters, mothers and fathers. Their bodies were laid in a church right opposite my home. And when we were crying for justice, your European leaders were negotiating with the murderer Yanukovich. And when we were burying our dead, European leaders were demanding from Ukrainian opposition (who became government now and whom you are also addressing) to sign a peace treaty with Yanukovich and allow a murderer to stay in his presidential chair for another year. Our lives were of no value to your governments.
Do you know what it is like to have a neighboring country that treats you like their vassal? You may be even thinking yourself that Ukraine is Russia’s vassal. Your ancestors though knew well what it was like. But that was during Middle Ages, when your country fought for its independence from Spanish Empire. Too long ago for you to imagine what is happening now between Ukraine and Russia.
And you don’t have to. This is none of your business. It is for world politicians to deal with issues like that.
We thought so too.
When Putin annexed a part of Ukrainian territory, Crimean peninsula, we expected Western leaders to do what they had promised. Great Britain, USA and France in particular had signed a Budapest memorandum with Ukraine in 1994, according to which they had to ensure safety of my country. Having signed this memorandum, Ukraine surrendered all its nuclear weapons, because the safety of the country was now warrantied by Western powers. Had not West insisted on signing this treaty by Ukraine, it would still have nuclear power and Russia would had never dared to do what it did and no one would shoot down the plane with your daughter on board. But unfortunately Ukraine was honest and did everything according to the treaty, unlike European countries and USA, who have broken it with ease. USA and Great Britain did nothing but senseless talking, and France with its president Orland in the head not only broke the treaty, but did not stop selling its new warships to Russia, the aggressor country. Why so? Because it is good for business. As it was good for Europe to collaborate with Hitler in the 30s, feed him Poland and Czech Republic, forgive him Austria. And it was easy too, did not require turning consciousness on. I doubt you’d expect real justice from people like that.
When Putin started to move his terrorists into the Eastern regions of my country and provide them with heavy munition, politicians of the European Union did nothing to stop him. They urged my government to negotiate with Russian terrorists, who cut civilians open. And they also applied some sanctions that did not change a thing, some toy sanctions to pretend Europe was doing something.
Now, when Russia openly fires at Ukraine from its own territory, frau Merkel sits next to Putin ant the Soccer World Cup and shakes his hand. Did anyone tell you that now Russia is openly bombing Ukraine? Of course, not. Your media do not like to write about it. Why do you have to know that only few hundred kilometers away from EU a war is being waged full speed and the only sons and daughters of Ukrainian parents are dying now by thousands? Yesterday, on July 20, two Ukrainian school kids blew up on a mine installed by Russian terrorists. They were 15 and 16. You are not told about this because you don’t need to know that the country supplying you with oil and gas blows up Ukrainian kids. Ukrainian kids are not good for business, but gas and oil – very much so. Every time you fill your gas tank, remember that you may be filling it with fuel made of Russian oil. Every time you put a pot on a stove to cook your supper, you may be using Russian gas. These Russian oil and gas, that are so good for business, made European politicians turn away from not-so-good-for-business Ukraine, break their own international obligations and pretend nothing was happening for all these months.
I am not saying that Ukrainian government is innocent. After all in February this government, still being only an opposition, and under pressure from your European politicians still agreed to sign a shameful treaty with Yanukovich. And the fact that this treaty never went in effect is partially due to Ukrainian people, who simply did not allow this to happen.
So before you accuse Ukrainian government, maybe you consider including your European governments on the list of those responsible for your daughter’s death. After all, it is them who were holding backroom talks with Putin for all these months, it is them, who refused to listen, when Ukrainian government was shouting loud that Russia started the war. It is them, your politicians, made our government negotiate with pro-Russian terrorists, the armed ones, the same ones who shot down the Boeing with your daughter on board, your beautiful, gifted and happy Elsemiek. Are you expecting justice served? Do you believe your governments will be able to provide it? The same politician who shake hands with Putin? To tell you the truth, I have doubts.
I am in no way connected to Ukrainian politicians, government of business.
I cannot imagine the magnitude of your loss.
Most likely, you do not care about what I say.
I am simply a Ukrainian girl, who wakes up during a night thunderstorm in fear that her city is being bombed.
But still – I am very sorry.
Alexandra Kovalyova.
