are marching east, west, and south. The tanks from the east [16] are moving west. There is an ease of tension. We learn from English and German radio stations about the Germans’ advance towards Grodno, Białystok, Pińsk, and Równe. It is beginning to dawn on us that Lvov is going to meet its fate in only a few days, or maybe even a week, for the Germans are not marching in this direction, knowing that the Lvov wedge will automatically become empty when the envelopment from the north and south becomes an accomplished fact. The south side is neither attacked nor much defended. It has been given over to the Hungarians’ initiative. So it is all about manning the land from which the enemy will retreat in fear of becoming separated from the main troops. So the sobre-minded lose their vain hope, but the weak and blind are beguiling and deluding one another contra spem624 and believing in a miracle. But for now there is law, order, and discipline in the city. Even though there are kilometre-long queues outside every shop, supplies are plentiful. All shops are selling everything they have and storehouses deliver fresh supplies each day. We can finally see the blessing of nationalised trade, as on such occasions private trade hides merchandise and engages in profiteering.
Lvov’s inhabitants are enduring and experienced “queuers”. They had practice at queuing in the frost back in 1939 and in 1940 until the spring. Consequently, they are stubbornly gathering supplies all day long (most of them are Poles, as the Ukrainians are either busy or hiding and the Jews are devastated), ignoring bombs, and, to the amazement of the Bolsheviks, soldiers, and NKVD, they do not leave the queues even during the worst bombardment. But there is bread, and this is what counts. The rest is politics, which Lvov’s inhabitants, who have survived the Austrians, Germans, Ukrainians, Germans again, Bolsheviks, etc., care little about. Come what may!
[17] 25 June. The uprising of the Ukrainian nationalists has become an accomplished fact. They were shooting at the troops from windows, towers, trees, churches, and hills. They were communicating with the enemy, hiding weapons, organising themselves into military units, and assigning functions in case of the Germans’ arrival. The Bolsheviks declared a state of siege and today they began shooting at every open window, searching tenement after tenement, flat after flat, arresting thousands of Ukrainians. The situation in the city resembles a revolution. Armoured vehicles, cars, and tanks
