Nina studied me for another moment. Then she let it pour about what usually happened when people found out she was Ukrainian. She’d been living in Slovenia for years and holy crabs did she have stories.

Back then, the Slovenian word for female Ukrainian was synonymous with prostitute. I’m being serious. When people said Ukrajinka they meant prostitute, and the implications were solid.

Like when a cop checked Nina’s papers on a sleeper train, closed the cabin door and whipped out his junk. Nina pointed back at the prick pointing at her and asked what it was, perhaps a pencil, did she need to sign something? The cop didn’t appreciate the wit, they rarely do, and he ordered the train be stopped and the defiant Ukrajinka hauled off to a deserted train station at two in the morning. Nina said alright I am a hooker, bought and paid for, and you sir are about to find out what happens when you mess with mafia property. Then Nina was escorted back on the train and she didn’t need to sign anything.

Or when Nina’s neighbours were eyeing her house and hinting at how they thought she had paid for it. Nina told them well if you think that whoring will buy you a nice house then why don’t you give it a try. And she offered to mentor them. Later on, she would occasionally inquire about the progress of her neighbours’ whoring and the whereabouts of that nice house.

It is almost like… Ukrainians know how to fight back.

I chanced upon Nina in a bygone era, long before the rona. But things haven’t changed much since. After the early 2022 bliss of seeing all Slovenia united in its social media support for Ukraine, it mostly reverted back to the usual. Them Ukrainians, in addition to now being a general nuisance and Ashke-Nazis to boot, are back to being lowly whores again while them Russians are the hungry knights in rusty armour who will save us all from the Wicked West.

Because the thing is that the people of Slovenia, regardless of their actual ethnicity, get off on feeling superior. This is a trait typical of those who had it good during the Cold War when Russians ruled the Soviet Union, Serbians ruled Yugoslavia and Slovenians enjoyed the highest standard of living of them all. Ruskies and Serbies have already lost what they once had while we Slovenians have somehow kept it. Despite the honest efforts of Czechs, Slovaks and the whole of Baltics we are still doing the best, which essentially means we have the most to lose. This seems to frighten us, and fear can sometimes turn to jealous rage.

In Slovenia, it used to be that while Ukrainians were offering their bodies for a pittance, Russian tourists and mobsters were dishing out generous tips. A Ukrainian slave and a Russian master, with a Slovenian sandwiched in between, blissfully leeching off both.

But now we are seeing Ukrainians standing up for themselves, making the almighty Russians look silly. Even worse, a few Ukrainians have sought refuge in Slovenia, and it wasn’t the poor ones! They arrived in their SUVs and checked into the best hotels!! They used to be whores and now they are living the high life?? This surely can’t be right. So yeah, some of my people are quite upset with Ukrainians at the moment. So there’s that. What a year.

As for 2023, I already expect somebody to seriously try and wipe out all electronic money, property records, even your cryptos on a planet-wide scale.

And it won’t shock me if, say China disintegrates into a flaming mess of warring kingdoms.

I’ll be slightly more surprised if a Western politician strikes a secret deal with a rogue nyooclear power to mushroom-cloud a few major population centers because cities are where them problematic voters live.

I’ll be almost astonished if Russia and Ukraine join military forces and start marching for the EU.

What will really surprise me is if the bloodshed in Warkraine ends in 2023 with the world still standing. That would be nice.