Ambassadors to Ukraine and Russia: how do they experience the war? † news item

News item | 07-07-2022 | 09:42

From two sides, Jennes and Gilles paint a surrealistic picture. From a war-stricken Kyiv, where the terraces are cautiously opening again. While everyone knows that the air raid siren could go off at any moment. And a Moscow, where life hardly seems to have stood still.

Jennes and Gilles each tell their story. About air raid shelters and an embassy in wartime, about expelled diplomats and maneuvering in Moscow. But first we return to February 24, 2022. The beginning of the war in Ukraine.

The beginning of the war: Russia

“In the nights before the raid, I often woke up and checked the news,” Gilles says. “And when I woke up at 6 a.m. on February 24, the war was over. Putin explained to the Russian people that a ‘special military operation’ had been set up.”

“My first action was to inform the staff at the embassy. That day I immediately had an EU meeting and discussions at the embassy. In the meantime, you continuously follow the news. In the days after the invasion, Westerners left Russia en masse. You also saw the first sanctions, and companies closing their doors in Russia. The airspace also gradually closed. The events followed one another in rapid succession, like falling dominoes.”

“A lot is going through your mind in the meantime. Angry that it could still get this far. Despite all the promises it wouldn’t happen. An invasion of a neighboring country, against all international law rules. You empathize with everything that happens in Ukraine. And with our colleagues in Ukraine. Because there the war had so much more impact than with us.”

The beginning of the war: Ukraine

When the war broke out, Jennes was in Lviv, in western Ukraine. The embassy had moved there because Kyiv was no longer safe. “We expected the worst,” says Jennes. “Last year on November 29, we already had our first crisis meeting at the embassy. It was clear to me: things were not going in the right direction. You hope for the best, but in the months before the war, we prepared for the worst.”

“That meant, among other things: stocking up on water and food, satellite telephones, plotting escape routes, looking at how many Dutch people there are in Ukraine. How can I inform them? Who can and cannot leave the country? We had lists full of questions that we needed to answer as quickly as possible.”

“After the war broke out, we regularly spent two days in air-raid shelters because the air raid siren went off. Then the question arises: what else can the embassy do here? How important and safe is it that we are here? You do this in consultation with the Netherlands. And finally we decided to move to the Polish side of the border. What Gilles describes, I also had: it all went very fast. And now we are more than 4 months further.”

Jennes de Mol: ambassador in wartime

With a small team, Jennes is back in Kyiv. What is it like to be an ambassador in wartime? “Just as we left as an embassy, ​​so we returned: step by step and well prepared. Since the war, our work has increased enormously. Such as contact with the Ukrainian authorities, with other countries, and with aid organizations.”

“Employees at the embassy have been through a lot. Dutch colleagues came to live in Ukraine with their families and suddenly had to flee. Local employees all have friends or relatives that something has happened to. Everyone has been in bomb shelters. Everyone has their own emotions. The impact is huge for everyone. And because of the war, our embassy staff is very dispersed. Our challenge now is to make the embassy grow again.”

“The war also turned my life upside down,” says Jennes. “As ambassador to Ukraine I have been to the east of the country a lot. In places that are now being destroyed – Kharkiv, Slovyansk, Severodonetsk, Mariupol – I know people everywhere. It is very painful to be confronted with that every day.” Whether Jennes herself has changed as a person? “I don’t think I have time to think about that right now. Because I’m constantly on to make things happen. That realization will come later.”

Gilles Beschoor Plug: diplomat in Moscow

The embassy in Kyiv is being cautiously expanded again, but because of the red travel advice, Dutch relatives are staying at home. At the same time, the embassy in Moscow has shrunk.

“In Russia, the uncertainty for the Dutch embassy staff was increasing,” explains Gilles. “For example, because of Russian counter-sanctions, and because travel became more and more difficult. Especially for people with a family or with a medical complication, the questions piled up: can we get out of here in a month? Is there still affordable medical care? Can our children still go to school here? So some of the Dutch employees left voluntarily.”

But it didn’t stop there. Because on March 29, the Netherlands expelled 17 Russian spies, who pretended to be diplomats.

“When I informed the employees at the embassy about the deportation of the Russians in the Netherlands, everyone thought the same: this will also have consequences for us. We’ve been tense ever since. And yes, the news came on April 19. I was summoned to the Russian ministry and given a list of Dutch colleagues who had to leave the country within two weeks. ‘Because you have deported people to us in The Hague,’ I was told. Of course, that wasn’t a fair comparison at all: spies against normal diplomats. The moment I read that list to a silent staff in Moscow, with the names of 15 colleagues who had to leave the country, is etched in my memory.”

What is it like to be a diplomat in Moscow? “It is not easy at the moment. As an embassy you represent the Netherlands abroad. And we are a country that supports Ukraine to defend itself against Russia. So we are increasingly identified as a party to the conflict. You notice an increasing tension, and we are being watched. You must ensure that this does not affect your performance as a diplomat. Because as an embassy we still have an important role to play.”

Moscow and Kyiv: two surreal worlds

The contrast between Moscow and Kyiv is stark, but Jennes and Gilles agree: both cities have a surreal atmosphere. “Life goes on in Moscow,” Gilles says. “The theaters are open, there are concerts. The cinemas and restaurants are full. Everyone is taking to the streets now that summer has started. There is almost a festive mood. But at the same time also a certain pressure. People have concerns. But still, if you were there, thank you think: How can this be so cheerful? This country is at war!”

There is also something unreal about the image of Kyiv that Jennes paints. “Here you see that there is an enormous need to make life a bit normal again. A month ago, the city was soulless. That city is suddenly starting to come back to life. People return and the terraces open. At the same time, the sword of Damocles hangs over our heads: the constant threat of a missile attack, which could disrupt or destroy life at any moment.”

“Surrealism is a word I use often. On one side you can see the splendor of Kyiv. And people want to make the most of it. On the other hand, there is that permanent threat of war. You know there’s heavy fighting going on 300 kilometers away. And that nothing is certain.”

A message to the Dutch

Jennes and Gilles both experience the war in a completely different way. And they both convey their own message.

Gilles Beschoor Plug: “There has been a huge reaction against Russia. And rightly so. Because what happens goes against all norms, values ​​and rules. And against agreements that Russia has also made. But we must keep in mind that it is the Russian authorities who caused this. And not the Russian people. We do see that the population hardly dares to voice a dissenting voice, but you can’t blame those people for that. This is a country where people are oppressed. So my message is: let’s spare the population as much as possible and continue to focus on the authorities who caused this.”

Jens de Mol: “Freedom comes with a price. We always say that on May 4 and 5. Freedom is not self-evident. We are now seeing this in Ukraine as well. The Netherlands provides military, financial and humanitarian support to the country. We are thinking about rebuilding Ukraine. We are also feeling the consequences of the war and the sanctions. Energy costs are going up, food prices are going up. That has consequences, and the Dutch population feels that. And the question is: how far is that acceptable? And how far can you defend that? But one thing is certain: freedom comes with a price. And right now, the Ukrainians are also defending our freedom. That is something we have to keep realizing.”