The Russian-Ukrainian war returned to world news headlines with the ramming and firing upon of two Ukrainian gunboats by the Russian navy in the Kerch Strait on Nov. 25, 2018. 
It was news I awoke to via a text message from Peace Corps. A quick check of the news confirmed this wasn’t a drill. So I needed to prepare for next steps should the situation go further south and prompt an evacuation. I’m glad that didn’t happen.
The response from president Poroshenko was swift as he imposed a 30-day period of martial law in the oblasts bordering Russia, including Mykolaiv. Seeing an increase in police cruisers and hearing fighter jets roaring overhead the first few days did make me wonder if all hell was about to break loose. But no obvious aspects of martial law like curfew, military forces or tanks in the streets resulted. Despite this first-ever martial law in Ukraine, most people shrugged it off and went about their day as usual.
Martial law has since expired, but the situation remains tense. The Ukrainian ships and sailors are still held in Crimea. Russia continues its military buildup along Ukraine’s borders. Weekly attacks and casualties continue in Donbas. (According to the UN, almost 13,000 people have been killed since 2014.) In the two years I’ve been here, a ceasefire hasn’t lasted for more than a day or two. And so the war rages on with no end in sight.
I admit, before I came here, I was a bit concerned about coming to a country at war with its neighbor. But the conflict zone is roughly 450 miles away, so I’ve never felt in danger or experienced any major impact.
I’ll also say hats off to our Peace Corps country director and security team. They give us regular updates and tell us about any hot spots that might compromise our safety. On a recent trip to Kyiv, I was invited to sit in on a safety and security briefing. I saw firsthand that the staff is as on top of these types of situations as one could hope.
PS, This incident shows that Russia is up to its old tricks on the high seas. In Feb. 1988 (holy cow, that’s 31 years ago!), I was a 21-year-old boatswain’s mate on destroyer USS Caron, happily sailing the Black Sea, when a Soviet Navy ship protested our right to innocent passage by ramming us off the coast of Crimea.
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