SBU and GUR: A twisted “love” story

In Romania, the war can still look like dark comedy from a distance. A shepherd in Vaslui reportedly became angry after discovering a Russian drone buzzing and flashing over his pasture, then disabled it by removing its rounded casing and wires. The article jokes that perhaps he was not really a shepherd, but a retired aviation engineering colonel from an old joke about aircraft.

Near Satu Mare, in the commune of Vama, another citizen took the risks of war-related debris into his own hands. The local councilor found a projectile at a construction site and decided to carry it alone, under his arm, on a scooter. Police refused to accept the unexpected civic delivery and considered a field outside the locality a more suitable destination for it. The journey of explosive material on two wheels continued for a while longer.

The article presents these incidents as part of a broader, uneasy relationship with danger. War is among the most tragic, dangerous and bloody things people do to one another, yet in Romania it can appear, when approached from a distance, like an ordinary activity alongside sowing, plowing, harvesting or posting personal impressions online.

That may be a phase of adjustment, the article suggests. The dangerous and deadly jungle has already reached beyond the fence, but people are still giggling behind the gate. In Ukraine, by contrast, the war has entered another stage, with the article describing de-escalation of the war alongside an escalation of fraternal clashes on the Maidan.

The piece contrasts Romania’s humor with Ukraine’s violence and asks whether the conflict is approaching its end and whether anything can still be negotiated. It argues that Romania has often treated wars as something to be accompanied by others, relying on a supporting shoulder, an alliance or protection, while Ukraine has reached a different stage because the war has not produced the expected results in Kyiv or elsewhere.