Sometimes, where I live in Kyiv, I hear people say: “This feels pre-war.” It refers to situations that remind us of what life was like before. You could call it a “sense of normalcy”.

For example, it refers to being able to walk around at night, travel abroad or plan your life at least six months in advance. Simple, everyday things have become a lost luxury.

Sometimes people say this phrase simply because they feel that the war isn’t completely occupying their entire mental space: while attending a play at the theatre, for example, or reading arguments about........

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