Amelia Dease | Originally Published: 24 January 2026
Artwork by Attaché Commentary’s Political Cartoonist, Amelia Dease
When I found myself complaining about the decidedly chilly weather on my way to class yesterday, I was immediately reminded by my Saskatchewanian mother that Toronto’s brisk -23° was nothing compared to Saskatoon’s vicious -36°. Yet -23° and -36° feel much the same from inside the comfort of one’s home.
During these spells of cold, my mind drifts to the plight of those who are without heat and electricity in Ukraine, due to Russia’s deliberate targeting of Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.
This drawing is meant to explore the resilience of Ukrainian citizens during long periods spent in the dark without heat. The viewer is invited to peer into the boxlike structure of the apartment, which is situated on a grassy plain beneath a starry sky. The absence of buildings in the background make the apartment unanchored, transient, or dreamlike. The liminal atmosphere of the sparsely decorated units reflect the uncertainty that Ukrainians are forced into during wartime. Many internally displaced persons do not know if they will be able to return to their homes; or if their homes are still standing. Others do not know if their family members are alive or dead.
In each unit of the apartment, domestic life proceeds. The viewer of the piece becomes a voyeur, intruding on the most intimate moments of these citizens’ lives. I am reminded continually that warfare requires victims to divulge their most vulnerable experiences in hopes of pre-empting the propagandistic efforts of the aggressor to absolve itself of responsibility and intent.
The Attaché 