Summary:
Kid and Nikov, with helps from Polish Intelligence Agency, go on their hunt against Russian spy network to prevent them from stealing NATO's top secret weapons and its unit structures. Yet, lack of cooperation among local Ukrainians and Polish authorities due to Stepan Bandera's dispute hampers their process, as the enemy is moving onward. However, they don't come empty this time.
08:30
Warsaw, Poland
In the Targówek District, a pretty new and undergone mass reorganization, a lot of Ukrainians live there as well, mostly immigrants especially since 2014, when war between Ukraine and Russia-backed separatists, broke out.
Ukrainian and Russian nationals form a large portion there, but the Ukrainians are still the dominant ethnic people there. Previously, the District was 95% Polish, now it had 65% Ukrainians and smaller, Belarusians and Russians. The Ukrainians in the District are seen varied by times. Some are very well-integrated and perceived good. Others, they aren't, either prostitutes, sex smugglers, or human traffickers.
Ukrainian signs could be seen as well.
...
With some shiny new building, Kid and Nikov walked into a small Ukrainian market.
"Українська їжа! Українська їжа! Вся хороша їжа, що імпортується з України на 100%!" (Ukrainian food! Ukrainian food! All good food imported from Ukraine 100%!)
They were on their duty with support from the Polish intelligence there. Many Ukrainians were selling their stuffs, from food to junks, anything they could have. Life in Ukraine was hard, although it was at least, okay, by standard. It sucked anyway.
Rampant corruption in Ukraine is widespread. And adding with Russian influence in the country, Ukrainians always distrust each other.
There, the two Doras tried to not provoke, but Kid and Nikov could see from the souvenir store of the Ukrainian community also included ...
... a lot of symbol from the old Insurgent Army and photos of Stepan Bandera.
Kid and Nikov wondered what could be expected from a Polish district that is now full of Ukrainians. They did have sympathy for what the Ukrainians suffered from Russia, but as Polish law prohibited portrayal of Stepan Bandera, the Ukrainian immigrants should, at least, respect Polish law. They didn't.
Ukrainian and Polish languages are quite close and many Ukrainians can speak Polish. However, they can't understand full of it, due to large influx of Russian loanwords on Ukrainian in comparison to Polish. Some Polish buyers often travel there, and Ukrainians knew how to hide their Bandera's photos. Polish authorities had been on crackdown of pro-Bandera Ukrainian activists since 2018.
"Fuck ... a lot of Stepan Bandera there."
"(Relax. Ukrainians are not bad like that anyway.)"
"I know. But again, they don't care if they are in Poland."
Nikov had just been aware with the problem related to Stepan Bandera had spread beyond border. Hungary had banned pro-Bandera organizations as a solidarity act to Poland, its long-standing ally, and threatened Ukraine if the country didn't withdraw its rehabilitation of Stepan Bandera. Hungary also suspended Ukraine's entry to the EU and NATO as a response.
So now, Ukrainians must be pretty much divided over.
...
But that was an outside story. Kid and Nikov were still walking on the small Ukrainian market. They headed to a building, with a gothic gate.
YOU ARE READING
The Lost List
ActionA series full of drama, tense by pressure, two men, who have chosen to disappear for two years, have decided to resurrect again. And they embark for a new journey of their own, to find out the last, and to finally close their chapter. Yet, it turns...
