Kyiv. It’s the little things that count. That’s our humanity.

Kyiv at sunset. Who loves the little window with the light on?

It’s raining but I’m in Kyiv and not on the bike getting wet. I will learn to deal with the air raid sirens. Today’s meeting with Sarah and Dmytro at Voices of Children charitable foundation went great! We’re going to catch up later in the week for a recorded interview that I will share here.

The last 18 hours. Why has it taken so long for the West to help keep Putin from murdering Ukrainian civilians including children?

The second audio a few seconds later captured the sound of explosions in the first few seconds. No one was injured in this attack, but it is usually sleeping families and children who are the targets and the victims of Russia. One more reason to make a small donation, today, to Voices of Children.

This first audio was recorded in Sasha’s childhood apartment kitchen. Incoming ballistic missiles. One landed in a suburb just near where we were sitting. 1 of 2 www.globalgiving.org/fundraisers/...

Sasha and I visited a Soviet-era park between sushi and beer in the suburbs of Kyiv near the university where he works. A few hours later air raid sirens went off, followed by explosions. Apparently a warehouse was the Russian target. They love attacking food distribution centres and hospitals.

Wow. Yesterday while riding into Kyiv an F16 flew low over the road just 100 metres ahead of me (Ukrainian not Russian). It wasn’t a training flight. Something new every day.

Final update from Kyiv on July 13: A few pics. Caught up with Sasha. Then there were air raid sirens and ballistic missiles attacking near us. Never gonna get used to those sounds.

July 13 and the road to Kyiv, fourth post. This took my breathe away.

July 13 and the road to Kyiv, third post. Finally no cobbles. But a noisy road with a wide, safe shoulder.

The road to Kyiv. Just 60 more kilometres. I’m lucky my cycling friend Sasha, for the second time, will meet me when I arrive in Kyiv, just like he kindly did in 2024 before we’d even met. I’m looking forward to many things in Kyiv, one of which will be not moving from place to place every day.

July 13th, and I’m about to ride the final 78 kms into Kyiv. I’ll meet with Sasha first, then with Voices of Children tomorrow. It’s been 2,100 km for Return2Ukraine since I started my “full scale” ride from Tallinn, and 3,000 in total since I left Fleet in the UK just southwest of London.

I made four new friends in Ukraine. They were hanging around on their bikes so we rode together for a while Using Google Translate they stopped me and asked four questions: 1. Where are you from? 2. How much did the bike cost? 3. And why are you here? Very fun encounter. It made my day.

July 12. Fifth update. Just some sunflowers and a decorative bus shelter. Oh, and I got stung by a bee. But I’m coping.

July 12th. Fourth update. This is another of the memorials to fallen soldiers. This time in a large town called Vinnytsia. In the past, every town had a church. Now every town also has a war memorial.

Marking myself safe in Bila Tserkva just 100 kms south of Kyiv. I wanted to avoid the Lviv-Kyiv highway that I rode in on last year as it has heaps of truck traffic. Remember a passenger or cargo plane has not landed here since before the was started in February 2022. Everything comes in my truck.

July 12 and just 300 km from Kyiv. Still time to donate to Voices of Children. Link here: www.globalgiving.org/fundraisers/... Attached are some Russian casualty and equipment loss figures. It’s simply staggering how Putin’s ill-fated war against Ukraine 🇺🇦 is destroying Russia itself.

Hey, Apple Weather is again promising me a sunny day. I’m quietly confident that it will really happen this time. I think the sunflower fields have had enough rain for now.

July 11th, sixth video … It’s safer riding in Ukraine in the rain without a helmet than it is riding in Australia.

July 11th, fifth video … Just a thank you to donors to Voices of Children. The girl at the rest stop who told me she was going to the Carpathian Mountains also said, “I think I saw you on TV.” Indeed I was on the Ukrainian Government’s TV channel two years ago. (I think it was a slow news day.)

July 11th, fourth video … Never trust Apple weather. If it says dry all morning, expect rain. (For the farmers.)

July 11th, third video … Look a pink tram on wheels not a track. Awesome! Memories from my childhood or something.

July 11th, second video … my lecture about Russia being a petrol station disguised as a country (quote from the late US Senator John McCain who now has a street in Kyiv named after him).

July 11th, first video … I was promised a dry morning by Apple weather.

July 10th post #10 on the road to Ternopil. Look at the beautiful countryside. Hard to believe this country is fighting for its very existence. War is always there, but just below the surface. The ability of Ukrainians to live normal lives while fighting tyranny and terror amazes & inspires me.

July 10th post #9 on the road to Ternopil in central Ukraine. Ukrainian 🇺🇦 cows happily munching on grass along side a busy road.

July 10th, post #9 from the road to Ternopil in central Ukraine. I’m learning how to read Ukrainian script (similar to Cyrillic): Glory to Ukraine Glory to the heroes

July 10th, post #8 from the road to Ternopil in central Ukraine. Riding in the rain in Ukraine 🇺🇦 is like riding in the rain in any other country. You get wet.