Lastivka and Jan are Ukrainian drone pilots. Without them, no guns will fire, so they are a top priority target for the Russians.
Image: Daniel Pilar
Lastivka and Jan are anarchists and soldiers in the fight against Russia. They cannot understand that the German left does not want to help them.
Lastivka and Jan are Ukrainian soldiers. According to Vladimir Putin, they are Nazis in the service of American imperialism. If you believe some of the pioneers of the German left, arms deliveries to them are warmongering. But if you believe them and their friends, they are fighters in a people’s war against imperialist genocide. These are words from the vocabulary of the global left, and Lastivka and Jan do not use them accidentally. Because they are both at the same time: soldiers of Ukraine and left-wing activists.
“Lastivka” means “swallow”. The young woman who chose this battle name—thirty years old, funny face, and a cartoon-style grenade armpatch—uses it to protect herself and hers. Jan doesn’t care about such worries. He is 32, his real name is Jan, and while Lastiwka only wants to be photographed with a mask, he shows his face.