The Black Sea Whale

At the beginning of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Snake Island quickly became a symbol of national resistance. The commander of a Russian battleship threatened 13 Ukrainian border guards stationed there with death and destruction if they did not surrender. They flatly refused, with a reply that would rally a nation: “Russian warship, go fuck yourself!” Those guardians of Snake Island became talismans of Ukrainian tenacity, proving to everyone, no trouble is so great as to coerce the loss of belief in yourself.

The stories in The Black Sea Whale (a “thirdly” publication, as opposed to a quarterly) are a second chance for the world to listen to and hear the sincere and true voice of Ukraine. They are about the prosaic and the extraordinary, about who we were, who we are, and who we can be. Some stories resemble reality so vividly, they are hard to believe, while others are so outlandish, they strike you as being true. Sometimes they are ironically comedic, at other times heart-wrenchingly sad, but always self-critical and reflect the lessons we have learnt throughout life.

You might find echoes of your own life in the specifics of Ukraine, in this bespoke publication for the English-speaking world, because the challenges we face are universal be they in Kyiv or London or where you might be reading this.