March 3, 2022

It is hard to think that almost 2 years ago the phenomenon of "Zumping" emerged. Zumping is when you break up with someone over Zoom — similar to the FaceTump (FaceTime dump). We've come a long way since, although we're taking name recs now for getting dumped in the metaverse...

Thank you for your great feedback on Part 1 of Max Frost's report from the Ukraine/Poland border. Brace yourself for Part 2 today.

― Key Stories

Moon Punch
Overview

• 3 tons of space junk traveling at 5,800 mph (9,300 kph) will hit the far side of the moon on Friday
• The object is expected to punch a 33- to 66-foot (10- to 20-m) crater in the moon, sending particles flying hundreds of miles across its surface
• Given the location of the collision, telescopes will not be able to capture images of the occurrence. It may take months to confirm the impact
• The junk is believed to be part of a leftover rocket that has been tumbling through space for the past decade. SpaceX, NASA, and China have all denied responsibility

Russian Oligarch to Sell Chelsea FC

• Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich confirmed that he is selling his London football club, Chelsea, as soon as this week
• Abramovich is asking $2.5B+ for the club, which he has owned since 2003 and turned from a long-time laggard to a 2-time Champions League victor
• Hansjörg Wyss, a Swiss billionaire, has confirmed that he is a potential buyer, although there are reports Abramovich is seeking an American buyer
• Abramovich faces sanctions over his ties to Vladimir Putin. He is also selling various real estate properties before possible sanctions take effect

Russia's Military Mystery

• Despite overwhelming air power, Russia's jets have failed to control the skies in Ukraine
• After a week of Russian attacks, Ukraine's air force and air defense remain viable. A UK military research institution called the situation “the mysterious case of the missing Russian air force”
• Russia has reportedly failed to coordinate air and ground strategies, leaving ground assets vulnerable
• That failure may be hindering Russia's 40-mile (65-km) convoy, whose assault on Ukraine has been delayed by logistical issues. That convoy is believed to be planning to siege Kyiv, Ukraine’s capital

Lessons for Taiwan/China
Overview

• Both China and Taiwan are drawing lessons from the war in Ukraine, analysts say
• Since the 1940s, Taiwan has acted as an independent country. China has vowed to take control of it by 2050 — using force, if necessary
• Analysts say China is watching how intensely people will fight to defend their country, even against overwhelming odds. The war may make China more likely to conduct an overwhelming initial assault
• For Taiwan, the war is a notice that a major invasion to overthrow their government remains a possibility, and military preparedness must be a priority

See yesterday's results below the Wrap!

 Popcorn

Culture & Sports 

• State of the Ratings: President Biden's State of the Union address drew 38.2M viewers for a 42% increase over his big March speech in 2021 (which wasn't called SOTU)
• Roar of the Tiger... online: Tiger Woods won $8M for generating the most social media buzz of any other golfer in 2021, despite barely playing
• AMC announced it will charge more for tickets to The Batman than "for other movies playing in the same theaters at the same time"

• Closing time, one last call for books: Amazon is closing all 68 of its physical book stores, pop up shops and "4-star" stores in the US & UK
• Google will end voluntary work-from-home in the Bay Area and other US locations on April 4. Most Googlers will do 3 days in person per week
• Expect more... Pay more? Target announced that it will raise its minimum wage range to $15-$24, depending on store location

• A Texas congressman dropped his reelection bid after admitting he had an affair with an ex-jihadist who was once married to an ISIS commander
• iCarly will feature a mini-reunion for Drake & Josh co-stars Miranda Cosgrove and Josh Peck, according to a new trailer for the Season 2 reboot
• Only fans of... Ukraine? OnlyFans has resumed service to content creators in Russia after briefly cutting off its payment system
• "You up, Aaron?" Packers coach Matt LaFleur says he doesn't want to annoy Aaron Rodgers with texts and calls during his decision process

― Roca Wrap

A Newsletter Exclusive

Przsemysl, Poland
[All interviews below were conducted in Russian.]

The men stick out at the train station in Przemyśl, where evacuation trains drop refugees fleeing Ukraine. Ukraine is not letting able-bodied men leave the country – they may be needed to fight – so the crowd is almost entirely women and children.

Yet outside the station, a few dozen young men are standing around. They’re quiet. Some are smoking; they all look calm. Each has a duffel bag. If you didn’t know better, you’d think they are waiting for any ordinary train or bus. 

But they’re not – they’re waiting to go to war. And when a man walks up and shouts: “Lvov!” they grab their bags and head toward the bus to Ukraine. No one is there to wish them off; they just go.

The first of these men I met was Andrii (left, in above photo), who I would have guessed to be 18 but turned out to be 24. He moved to Poland to work as a driver in Krakow and hadn’t been home in 2 years.

I asked if he was scared, and he avoided the question: “Look how many people are coming. Women, children.” Later on he conceded that yes, he was a little bit scared, but not much. 

He decided to join the war the day it started, after seeing the bombing videos on social media. I asked what his family, in the Ukrainian city of Zhitomir, thought. “They told me not to go,” he said, “but they don’t decide anything.” He had a duffel and a small backpack, which he showed me was stuffed with cans of meat. 

“The war will last 2 weeks,” he told me. “The Russians are weak. The whole world is with us.” Before I left, he followed Roca and told me, “If you want to come with me, just let me know. The war isn’t very intense where I’m going yet.”

**

2 serious-looking men (photo on right, above) were standing nearby, and I talked to them next. On the left was Denis, dressed in a red parka with both a cigarette and an espresso in his right hand; on the right was Andrii, dressed in a baseball cap, sweatsuit, and black down coat. 

Both were Ukrainian. Denis worked in a small Polish town, building wooden desks; Andrii was a taxi driver. They had just met there. 

At first they wouldn’t tell me what they were doing. “We’re going home to Ukraine.” “We’re going to see our families.” But after a bit, they warmed up: “We’re going to defend our families.” 

Denis had some military experience; he had served in the war in eastern Ukraine and was stationed on a ship in the Black Sea. Andrii did not. 

Were they scared? 
Denis: “A little bit.”
Andrii: “Yes. But it is what it is.”

**

Then I spoke to Oleg, originally from Odessa, Ukraine and now a chatty construction worker in Poland. He told me he had served and fought in multiple places with the Ukrainian military. “It’s time to defend the motherland,” he told me. 

Was he scared?

“More for my family than for me.” 

I asked if I could take his picture. 

“It’s better if you don’t,” he said with a grin. 

**

Then I talked to the refugees, the women and children those men were going to fight for. Most had similar stories: A mother had fled with her children, leaving her husband behind. Many had begun their journeys days prior; they had heard rockets and some explosions. Some had been directly impacted by the war, others hadn’t but were getting away before things deteriorated.

One family, comprised of an older woman, her daughter, and 2 young grandchildren, had just come through customs and was waiting in the parking lot for 4 other family members. Their story was particularly jarring. 

“The bombs were falling behind us,” the grandmother said, breaking down into tears. “These people [the Russians] aren’t right. They’re lying. They’re showing propaganda on the television.”

They didn’t sleep for 2 days on the train, where 14 people were jammed in a 4-person compartment. “We were 1 people, Ukrainians and Russians. Simple people,” the grandmother said while sobbing. 

Her daughter chipped in: “Please tell the truth when you write this.”

**

And then there was a teenage boy, his slightly older sister, their mother, and their dog. They were all hugging, smiling. Happy to be reunited. The daughter was a medical student in Poland; the mother and brother had just come from the far east of Ukraine. 

“It wasn’t as bad as people think it is,” they told me of their city. They were leaving preemptively, because the sister/daughter had room for them in her city and they were scared the war would get worse in their city. 

Yet their trip was an ordeal. They left their father behind, and were on the train for 3 days. The son told me that the ride was “awful, like hell. Cold. I don’t even want to speak about it. We were scared the dog would be mashed between people.” 

**

The list of these conversations goes on. Some people were fleeing bombs; others were fleeing before the bombs started. For all of them, the Russian invasion had turned their lives upside down.

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― Final Thoughts