Those historic links kept resonating. When the scale of the Russian operation was reported, names like Minsk (now capital of Byelarus) and Kyiv/Kiev brought up memories of ancient history. Then Lord Carlile revealed a more sensitive side of his steel-trap lawyer's mind on Sunday Supplement earlier this month, recalling that his mother was brought up in Lviv, in the far west of Ukraine, but still within the range of Russian cruise missiles. It was than named Lvov and was part of Poland. Escaping after the collapse of the pact between Stalin and the Nazis, she was part of the Jewish resistance in Poland. In 1990 he took her back to Lviv, just one year out from being a poor drab Soviet city. On his return in 2019, the contrast was remarkable. Lviv had become a thriving, modern, young city in an independent Ukraine. In 2022, it once more lives in fear.
A potted biography of Trotsky on Radio 4 this morning unearthed the gem that he came from a family of rich assimilated Jews, the Bronsteins. They were based in Kherson province, whose capital was one of the first cities to fall to the Russians. The young Lev Bronstein went on to study in Nikolayev/Mykolaiv, where he became a communist, and in Odessa. Odessa is predicted to come under heavy bombardment imminently.
Odessa is known now as a major seaport and transport hub. However, it has an ancient history and some famous people have links with the city. The great violinist David Oistrakh was born there, as were Nathan Milstein and the pianist Emil Gilels. Another pianist, Sviatoslav Richter was brought up in the city. It was a favourite resort of many 19th century notables, such as those listed here.
And it is this city's turn to be reduced to rubble in an attempt to satisfy the inhuman ambition of one man.
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