Palyanytsia/Photo: opk.com.ua
Palianytsia is not just a word, but a cultural phenomenon that has become so important in Ukraine that it cannot be confused with anything else. For some, it’s a delicious round bread with a crispy crust, for others it’s a password that saves lives, and more recently it’s also a symbol of Ukraine’s new strength in the war. Let’s find out what this bread is, how it became intertwined in our souls, and how it suddenly became part of the fight at the front.
Bread with a soul
Imagine: a warm oven, the smell of freshly baked bread, a grandmother in a headscarf pulling a round, golden loaf out of the oven. It’s not just food – it’s a memory of home, of warmth, of how good things used to be. Palianytsia is a wheat bread that has been baked in Ukraine for centuries. Its shape and taste are like a hug from the native land. And who would have thought that this simple bread would become more than just a dish on the table?
When I think of a loaf of bread, I remember how my mother used to break it with her hands – no knives, because it was not just bread, but something alive and warm. And this piece of my soul suddenly went into battle – first as a password, and then as a weapon. But first things first.
A password you can’t pronounce
When the war broke out, the loaf became not just bread, but a real test of friend or foe. The Russian occupiers, no matter how hard they tried, could not pronounce the word correctly. “Palanitsa”, “palyanitsa” – anything but our native “palyanytsia” with a soft “l” and that special accent that you feel in your heart. And this simple word, which we have known since childhood, has become a weapon – invisible but very effective.
At checkpoints, our guys would ask: “Say palyanytsia!” and everything became clear in a second. It was funny and scary at the same time – how can such a simple word decide fate? But that’s the strength of Ukraine: we take the most familiar, the simplest things and turn them into something indestructible. The palyanytsia has become a symbol of the fact that we cannot be broken, because we are our own, and they are strangers. And let them break their tongues trying to understand us.
Flying weapons
And then, in 2024, palyanytsia stepped out of the kitchen and onto the battlefield in the form of a drone missile. Yes, you heard right! Ukrainian engineers have named their new development “Palianytsia” – and it’s no coincidence. President Zelensky proudly declared that this thing had already hit the target, and now it was not only difficult to break the enemy’s tongue, but also his head, because it arrived in a big way.
This “Palianytsia” is a long-range drone missile made by our own hands. We developed it in a year and a half, which is just space speed for a war. They say it costs less than a million dollars, but its effect is worth millions. It can reach Russian airfields, warehouses or other targets that previously seemed unattainable. And most importantly, it is our response to their missiles, to their “chessmen”. While they thought we were going to be crushed, we baked our own Palyanytsia – and it flew.
Experts say that this thing has a jet engine, speed is its trump card, and it is also cheaper than its analogues. It’s like comparing homemade bread with store-bought bread: our Palianytsia has a soul, while their expensive rockets are tasteless and unimaginative. And let the enemies now not only be unable to say a word, but also hide from her “greetings”.
Why is it so heartwarming?
Palyanytsia is more than bread or weapons. It is about you and me. It’s about how we can take the simplest things – a word, bread, an idea – and turn them into something that amazes the world. In the war, it became a symbol of our resistance: first as a password that reveals the enemy, and now as a missile that punishes him.
When I think about this “Palianytsia” flying in the sky, I imagine our grandparents, who baked bread in ovens, smiling from above. They would say, “Wow, grandchildren! They made weapons out of bread, but with a soul – in our way. And this is what Ukraine is all about: we fight, we laugh, we bake bread and we win. Because a loaf of bread is not just a thing, it is our spirit, which cannot be broken.
So let the enemies learn to pronounce ‘loaf’ – maybe that way they’ll understand what they’re getting into. Meanwhile, we will bake another one – either on the table or in the shop. Bon appetit and glory to Ukraine!
Author : Ekaterina Bogdanenko
