I spoke with my wife last night — well, my wife, her sister Inna and her mother (sort of).  Their mood was very tense.  My wife kept assuring me that she was OK, but Inna said there was “much fear.”  (Inna also mentioned that my wife sometimes had to walk — to work, I’m guessing — in the dark, which is not comforting at all.  I’m going to suggest she take taxis if the buses aren’t running.)

Things have been relatively quiet in Mariupol over the past few days.  From news reports, it appears that the Russians are fortifying their positions at Novoazovsk, and working to gain a second front to the north of the city.  (If you think I’m being harsh by stating that the Russians are doing this, in the face of Putin’s/Moscow’s denials of any Russian army in Ukraine, I suggest you Google “putin denies troops crimea.”  You’ll see the pairing of articles with denials in March and acknowledgements in April.  You can’t trust Putin.)

My wife has been doing what she can to stock supplies at her son’s house.  They had already started to collect some things in advance of an expected hard winter, but now it seems there is a more urgent and immediate need.  Given the scarcity of some products in the stores, the prices are probably going up.  Fortunately, I send my wife some money each month, so she probably can still get the items she needs (assuming they are available).