Mykolaiv is constantly being hit by ballistic missiles, targeting the shipyard, the city theater, the regional administration... The first day after my arrival, I was taken out of my sleep in the morning screaming: "Wow!" – it seemed that the explosion had occurred right under the hotel windows, although in fact the rocket hit a service station across the river, on the outskirts of the city; one person was killed.

In the evening after the performance, during the autograph session, I heard young women talking in the queue: "Well, the day started so hard, and it ends so well!" (that's what literary festivals are for during the war!).

The next day, I had a chance to look into the city theater (formerly the Chkalov Russian Drama, sic!!) and see that it was also overcrowded (the stage is in a shelter), with spectators sitting on folding chairs (I also sat on the stage! – wherever there was room).

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