𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐆𝐈𝐑𝐋 𝐖𝐇𝐎 𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐏𝐏𝐄𝐃 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐖𝐀𝐑

bang bang, give me fame

I am Shibangi Das. I am an Indian author from Kolkata currently in Moscow, Russia. It is 26th of February 2022. The War was declared on 24th of February by Putin on Ukraine. He wishes to move forward with his plan of annexation. I pick no sides.

I started writing this book 6 years ago. I never thought it'd be famous at all, seeing as i wrote it when I was 13 and English wasn't my first language. But it did. Several of my readers waited until i finished it. Stuck by m, motivated me with their comments to keep on writing and ultimately finishing this book. Today, it reached 1 million reads.

As i sit here in Russia, with the war getting bitterer by the hour, I see the irony. My war story fanfiction that had been stagnant for several years is suddenly at 1M right before a real war.

I'm a student of Medicine. My university in Russia is providing us classes on War Health. Me and my friends worry they will send us to the war are to be doctors there. My bank cards have been blocked in Russia. I can no longer withdraw money for rent or food or water or even a flight ticket back home to safety until the war is over. The USA and EU are imposing sanctions on Russia forcing innocent civilians to suffer. This is a dirty war strategy where they make Russia look back for continuing the war even if th citizens and tourists and foreigners living there suffer and die.

I think I will die.

But nothing has happened here in Moscow yet. But any day, it might.

My parents are worried. They are doing anything they can to bring me home. But the flights have been blocked. Therefore, i put on a brave face as th adult of the new generation that everything is fine. But i worry when i hang up the calls.

There is speculation that soon some apps like Instagram and Facebook would be banned from Russia. Soon the other apps will follow. I will lose touch with my family altogether.

Sometimes I wonder, when i left home in 2019, October 29th, and came to Moscow and got stranded here for three years straight because of covid, was that day the last time I had ever seen my family? Was 2019 the last time i hugged my parents and my grandmother? Is that it?

I'm sitting here. My eyes are watering but i shall not cry.

According to my religion, out texts and scriptures, it's been foretold that a third world war would be an apocalyptic event and wipe out humanity. All countries have nukes and if they all start throwing it around then humanity will end and we'll start from the beginning again.

I hope you all are doing great. I will you all a great life as long as it lasts and millions of thanks for the 1 million reads.

Shibangi Das.
Live from Russia.