If I could describe this year in ten words, they would be: shock, uncertainty, risk, cooperation, chaos, multitasking, choice, action, helpfulness, and faith. 

Until February 24, I worked as a correspondent for the Ukrainian TV channel 1+1 in TSN's special projects department. I liked the opportunity to choose the topics freely and to explore the world through the camera. My TV stories were mostly social and entertaining. 

At the same time, I studied documentary filmmaking and managed to make a series of documentary short films about local coaches of different sports for the Suspilne TV channel. 

I studied at the documentary workshop of the Ukrainian director Serhiy Bukovsky and wanted to work exclusively in documentary filmmaking in the future. At the same time, I didn't expect that my dream of making movies would come true so soon. However, I realized that all my future works would be united under one theme.

After February 24, I thought of only two things: how to survive and how to do something useful for the country. So, as soon as I got a bulletproof vest and a helmet, I started filming stories of people living under daily shelling. I worked in Kharkiv and in liberated Kherson. I filmed the stories of soldiers, volunteers and people who decided to stay and rebuild the towns and villages destroyed by the Russians. I worked in the epicenter of the shelling and saw with my own eyes how people were dying from rocket fragments. I also saw that despite the daily threat of death, Ukrainians are ready to defend and rebuild their country. 

Together with my team, I made three short films about the war in Ukraine, which were shown at film festivals in the UK and Germany. It is important for me to immerse people in the conditions of the war, because we can only win through joint efforts.  

Now the concentration of pain is growing. It is not even possible to tell all the tragic stories with the help of film. 

There is probably no person in Ukraine who has not been personally affected by the war. I haven't been in my homeland for a year because Russia took it away.
Right now my family is trapped in the occupation. My mother is in the annexed Crimea and my father and grandmother live in occupied Berdiansk. So I want to make a story about the liberation of my home and the return of Ukrainian Crime

If I could describe this year in ten words, they would be: shock, uncertainty, risk, cooperation, chaos, multitasking, choice, action, helpfulness, and faith. 

Until February 24, I worked as a correspondent for the Ukrainian TV channel 1+1 in TSN's special projects department. I liked the opportunity to choose the topics freely and to explore the world through the camera. My TV stories were mostly social and entertaining. 

At the same time, I studied documentary filmmaking and managed to make a series of documentary short films about local coaches of different sports for the Suspilne TV channel. 

I studied at the documentary workshop of the Ukrainian director Serhiy Bukovsky and wanted to work exclusively in documentary filmmaking in the future. At the same time, I didn't expect that my dream of making movies would come true so soon. However, I realized that all my future works would be united under one theme.

After February 24, I thought of only two things: how to survive and how to do something useful for the country. So, as soon as I got a bulletproof vest and a helmet, I started filming stories of people living under daily shelling. I worked in Kharkiv and in liberated Kherson. I filmed the stories of soldiers, volunteers and people who decided to stay and rebuild the towns and villages destroyed by the Russians. I worked in the epicenter of the shelling and saw with my own eyes how people were dying from rocket fragments. I also saw that despite the daily threat of death, Ukrainians are ready to defend and rebuild their country. 

Together with my team, I made three short films about the war in Ukraine, which were shown at film festivals in the UK and Germany. It is important for me to immerse people in the conditions of the war, because we can only win through joint efforts.  

Now the concentration of pain is growing. It is not even possible to tell all the tragic stories with the help of film. 

There is probably no person in Ukraine who has not been personally affected by the war. I haven't been in my homeland for a year because Russia took it away.
Right now my family is trapped in the occupation. My mother is in the annexed Crimea and my father and grandmother live in occupied Berdiansk. So I want to make a story about the liberation of my home and the return of Ukrainian Crimea. 

If I could describe my year in 10+1 words, it would be: the armed forces, volunteers and trust, civil society and cooperation, reciprocity and support, fear and courage, pain and pride.  

My life up to February 24th was great, even though I felt I hadn't accomplished much in my 30s and wanted more. My day started with feeding a cat and a crowded subway, then a 15-minute walk to the office, 8-10 hours of work in a cool team, then another meeting with friends somewhere in Kiev or listening to podcasts while walking from Bessarabka through the Golden Gate to Kontraktova Square. And it ended again with feeding the cat.   

After February 24, I went to Germany, live in Augsburg, volunteer, pack small boxes for friends in the war, donate.  And I'm also trying to understand what reality I'm living in, when my information field is full of pain and heroism, but at the same time dogs are barking outside the window and children are playing peacefully.  

The biggest challenge for me was to explain abroad who I am and why I cannot speak Russian. Fortunately, I speak German well and don't need an interpreter. But still, I often hear: "You are from Ukraine and I speak a little Russian". 

And I say: "I don't speak Russian and I don't know this language".  

And they ask me: "But why? All Ukrainians speak Russian.  

And then a long lecture about the history of Ukraine begins.  

I still have to prove every time that I have the right NOT to speak Russian. 

 I also try to explain how different we are from the Russians. Most of the foreigners I communicate with now know how to buy a ticket to Moscow and what visa is needed in Russia. But they had no idea that Kiev is only a 2-hour flight from Munich for 20-40 euros without a visa. And another challenge: I do not want to sound crazy when I tell you that life in Ukraine was very comfortable and not as Germans imagine it. 

I want the world to forget everything they know about Ukraine, to erase it from their memory and to start studying and getting to know us anew. 90% of the information that foreigners have about Ukraine comes from Russian sources. Therefore, my main message is: forget everything you knew before February 24, rediscover the history, culture and people of Ukraine. And even better, come after the victory. Then stereotypes will break faster.

We are launching an NFT Collection of kids' drawings to help children who have been affected by the war in Ukraine. All proceeds will go to Voices of Children, a charity with the stated mission of giving every child who has suffered from the war in Ukraine the psychological and psychosocial help they need.

DCN members on the ground collected drawings from kids in Ukraine, reflecting their feelings and emotions while living with the spectrum of war. The children's artwork was turned into an NFT Collection that will be auctioned off to raise funds and draw attention to the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine. 

 The auction will begin on Sunday, April 10 at 8:00 pm EST and kick off with a Twitter Spaces Discussion on Helping Ukrainian Children During the War: An NFT with a Dream.

*The link for the auction at Open Sea: https://opensea.io/collection/littlehumansforukraine 

DCN's President, Nikos Panagiotou, said of the initiative, "It's heartbreaking to look into children's eyes, caught in crowded shelters or walking towards an uncertain future with a toy in their hands. Voices of Children use expert help and art to support them emotionally, wherever they are. For that reason, as a digital coalition, DCN decided to use technological means of the 21 Century to try to help children survive this brutal aggression resulting in hostility, violence, displacement, and family separation. The kids' art tells the story and, with your generous support, can also help the children of Ukraine."

About Voices of Children

The Voices of Children charity, headquartered in Sloviansk, in the Donetsk region, was established in 2015 to support through art and other forms of therapy children in Eastern Ukraine in response to ongoing conflicts. While some staff has managed to evacuate and are working on training volunteers, many still reside in areas under siege amid constant shelling by Russian forces. Their mission and action, however, are very much alive.

Artillery struck a neighboring house.

I am still staying in Kyiv.

The windows in my apartment are intact and I am needed in the city.

Many single grandparents are staying in my house, and I want to help.

Explosions are constant, from time to time the lights turn off.

The first flowers under the balcony bring back dreams that everything will be fine.

There will be spring, victory and life.

We now count our days as the days of the war. No one knows if today is the 8th, 9th or 10th of the month, if it is Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday. We know it is the 14th day of the war. So we say that. We do not do it on purpose, that's how it turned out.

My name is Denis Tsuchayev and I am thirty-four years old. I live in Hativ, a village south of Kiev. I am currently at the top of the shelter because it has a better connection, although it is not as secure as the one below. I am here with my partner and her mother. Our house is very close, but because we do not have a basement we’ve come to the shelter. During the day, if there are no blows, we go home and then, in the afternoon, we come back again.

My father is Ukrainian and my mother is half Greek. When I was sixteen years old, we went to Greece, to Larissa. I studied chemistry, worked at Greenpeace and, in 2018, I left with my partner and travelled to twenty countries to meet volunteer groups and NGOs. We returned to Ukraine in 2019, to continue our lives as consultants in social and environmental actions.

On the day of the invasion, we were home. A friend, a neighbor, woke us up and asked if we had heard of the bombing. And he told us that war had begun!

The situation was quite intense the first few days. All day long something was heard, something was heavy, we constantly heard explosions at some nearby military airports, which were hit first. We were terrified, we did not sleep. Our friends were texting us from the nearby villages: "Did you hear?" "Yes, we heard it, what was it?" "Something fell!"

"It was scary. We never expected what had happened to happen. "

We had no warning. We heard that they were preparing something, but we thought it was another political game, that they would not have the audacity to start a real war. Even now, Putin refuses to admit that it is a war, not a "special military operation," as he calls it.

On the third day, my partner and I decided not to leave the village and to help people in need and the Ukrainian army, which is around. So we set up a team to care for the elderly and people with diabetes, asthma, and even cancer. Volunteers go to the surrounding villages or to Western Ukraine to find medicines and send them to our side. The well-known singer, Ruslana, is also participating. A while ago, I was talking to her. She lives in the neighbouring village and is very active. She helped us find bulletproof vests, helmets… Yesterday we were looking for a truck for the Ukrainian army… In general, people in Ukraine have gathered and have learned to self-organize.

Of the ten stores in the area, only three are open and one pharmacy. In the earlierdays that people left, the shelves were empty. But the largest shopping malls near Kyiv now have all the necessary supplies. The supply is from the south of Ukraine, of course not at a normal speed, but there is still mobility.

The shelter I am in now is a large concrete basement, below the area school. It has large rooms and people sleep on a mattress, next to each other. We are lucky because it is new, it was built in 2004 and it is clean, it has toilets and a kitchen. In some cities the situation is tragic, there are two hundred people in a shelter and they do not even have water. In here, in the first few days there were about one hundred and fifty people, but now many have left and only around fifty people are left. We are of all ages, but mainly families. There are a lot of kids, so until they fall asleep the shelter has enough noise! When no alarms are sounded and no explosions are possible, then the situation is calmer. But when bombardment is heard, people are upset.

In the shelter I have made some friends and we do shifts, 10 at night to 6 in the morning, to watch the entrance. Our discussions every night always have to do with the situation, what we have seen during the day, how many planes the Ukrainian army has shot down today, what the analysts of the Russian economy are saying, how many supplies and how many of their missiles remain… these are our usual conversations now. We are not talking about sports or what we will do for Easter.

Lastly, when we hear explosions and it is far away, we do not even pay attention. Only when the walls and windows tremble do we worry. Then we start and wonder if it is from us or towards us. Now we understand from the type of sound if it has fallen down or if it has been launched from below. If it left us, a rocket that is, or if it landed on us. What we are most afraid of are the attacks on civilians, like the pediatric hospital in Mariupol, which had pregnant women and children inside.

This is tragic and they have been doing it for the last few days. While the Russian government claims that they only shoot at military targets…

There is currently a very large Russian force in the north of Kiev. They say it has run out of fuel and ammunition, but in recent days, we have seen that they have begun to bring in surface-to-air missile systems. That's what we're most worried about right now.

March 11, via Istorima (click here) 

My own story: 15 years in journalism. I have always studied and transmitted democratic values for reforms in society. By education, I am an international journalist. I  was trained in human rights, international standards of journalism, and was a public leader in the development of a free economy, overcoming corruption, etc. At the same time, in Ukraine, I  received only an honest salary, and always stayed out of the parties, because the development of the country for the future of our children has always been fundamental. My husband, a photo and TV journalist, did the same. Now, he accepts all the challenges that other men in Ukraine are facing by defending our country. Likewise, his nephew has already died, he was a young professional soldier. Our eldest daughter and her aunts and their young children found refuge in Poland, and my 10-year-old son and I in Slovakia. We are treated well. Tomorrow my son goes to school with children a year younger than him. He does not know the local language yet, but he overcomes the social and psychological challenges. I am looking for any job to provide for him honestly. And I will continue to tell the whole world about the crimes of Vladimir Putin and the entire criminal leadership of Russia and Belarus. These people can neither win nor disappear. An international tribunal is needed.

Understand: men, women and even children do not defend Ukraine because of the evil they have suffered for centuries from Russian leaders, this is not a vendetta, we stand for truth, democratic values, humanism, and the ability to live and work normally on our land!

Yulia Polikovska

Certified trainer of the OSCE Office in Ukraine on Countering Disinformation and Training of Public Leaders, Media Manager, Freelance Journalist

With my sister, we decided to stay home in Kyiv during the Putin invasion. We were in my apartment, because it is a 3-floor building with big walls (sister lives in a 24-floor loft). First and second days of The War, when there was an air attack and an alarm, we were under the stairs with my nephew, 8 years old. 

I live it the centre, near The Government. On the morning of third day, official UA channels informed  what next night Putin planning to attack our quoter to kill UA President  Zelenskyi. 06:00 we hear bombs sound and rockets, so we left our home city. My sister and her son left at least without biometrical documents, because then they come to us, they did not bring it. Nobody was going to run away, nobody prepared anything. We have UA passports in DIIA-application, nobody brought paper ones. We collected: 1 hamster called Fima, 8 underwear, no socks, no medicine but 3 ear drops ))). At the same time I asked women who were coming from Kharkiv to west, to pick up our parents, 70+ years old,  and my 5-year son from central UA, because Russian helicopters from Transnistria bombed Kanatovo near Kropyvnytskyi. Then they crossed Uman, some Russian bombs fell there too. All the way to Ternopil, Western UA, we were crying and praying for our relatives and for all our country. A lot of us speak the Russian language, but we are in OUR country, where we are free and independent, where we love to live. At least, after a 24 hour journey, we were met in Ternopil. But there was no place to stay in hotels. I called my friend Anna and she found us a shelter in Zarvanytsia, at a Greek Catholic Church. We are very thankful for them for this shelter, for their hospitality and we pray together for Ukraine.

“Iro, you must cross the border at any cost,” my best friend pleaded. 

I did not have to explain to her why even in Western Ukraine, I would still feel unsafe. Going to bed, I was wondering whether our windows would crack from rockets and the glass would fall onto the bed where my four year old daughter was sleeping. Every time a truck was passing by I shuddered, listening closely whether it was an airplane. 

It was one of those times when decisions are made in a flash. While I can assess later if they were correct or not, protecting my child’s safety cannot wait. 

We were planning to cross the Romanian border, when a friend sent us information that the border with Slovakia is the fastest route. Thus, we head towards the Maly Berezny – Ubla checkpoint. On our way, we picked up two women headed to their homes in Western Ukraine and ended up staying the night at their house. 

As we approached Maly Berezny, we spotted a volunteer who directed traffic: “to Uzhhorod this way, to cross the border by car this line, to continue on foot get as close as possible to the gate.”

Near the border we were stopped again. I looked around: mostly women with small children, some young women, some older men. Younger men mostly bring their families and then turn back around. 

Even for people like us who were there for the first time it was all intuitively clear: volunteers were directing all of the where’s and what’s. 

On February 27th, the line of cars stretched for more than 5 kilometres (the figure I heard) and kept growing. The queue of pedestrians was moving slowly, but moving nonetheless. Where it was no longer possible to get by car, a bus would come for pick up. 

My daughter Vlada, still thinking that this is “mommy’s and mine next vacation,” is bustling and curious. I, on the other hand, am seized by worry, my grandmother’s words about her first war ringing in my ears: “It was most important to stay together, not get separated. Families got lost otherwise…” Then, I say goodbye to my husband, not knowing when we will see each other again. 

The bus is filled to the brim. A volunteer, as if playing Tetris, arranges bags, animal carriers, and helps passengers.

The queue of people trying to cross the border on foot is growing, but moving, which instils some optimism. On the tables alongside the queue, sandwiches are served, bogracs (Hungarian beef and pepper stew, transl.) and borsch are cooked in cauldrons, pancakes with jam distributed, as well as apples, cookies, yogurt, and hot tea. Food is abundant. 

However, there is no sign for a public toilet in sight. There is nowhere to sit down and rest. While the queue is moving, the crowd is large and delays are to be expected. Many mothers are forced to change diapers on wooden pallets, or rest on them if a child falls asleep in their arms. 

My daughter laid out her toys and organized a children's corner. She gave a ride to a smaller girl on her scooter, laid out valuables from her backpack: a badge with her parents' contacts ("This is if I get lost," Vlada explains to the girl), and tells her about maracas (musical instrument in Caribbean and Latin music, transl.) from a recent trip.

While I understand that a border crossing is not the place for children’s entertainment, if there were volunteers who could help mothers at least a little bit, it would be much easier to wait for the unknown…

As soon as I approached the checkpoint, I noticed that there was only one window where documents were being checked. On the other hand, everything is moving much faster on the Slovak side of the border. Moreover, mothers with small children are hailed in as quickly as possible.

As soon as we were on the Slovak side of the crossing, we were met by volunteers who gave us loads of packages – food, water, toys – and took us to another bus. There are several such buses, and everyone takes their place: no one is standing or getting angry. Rather, we are all confused.

We were brought to a school converted into a makeshift refugee camp. There we find light, warmth, a place to spend the night, food, and internet. If you don’t speak the language, there is a volunteer to translate. As I am told, you can also find contact information: where to go next, where to find housing, etc.

This first encounter was warm, though a little intrusive. Several people asked me if I was hungry, and everyone tried to give my daughter gifts, even though her arms were already full. 

I had a feeling of being in some kind of a parallel universe. Ten days ago, I was vacationing at a resort in the Dominican Republic and was able to rent a car and choose which restaurant to dine in with my family. Today I am homeless and depend on people around me. I even have to ask the family that adopted me for an extra T-shirt to finally sleep in clean clothing after three days of travel with breaks only to sleep.

Those with whom I managed to speak at the border are not so optimistic that the war will end soon. But they understand clearly that living next to a country at war is just as dangerous. Therefore, everyone has gathered their efforts to help the refugees. The same warm encounters are being reported from the borders of Romania and Poland.

Many ask how we are doing. I have an answer for them: we are fighting, the Ukrainian military is superb, and Ukrainians are strong and united. Therefore, victory is close!

Iryna Vyrtosu, ZMINA 

"He protects me. As a talisman."

Catherine, 29 years old 

We have already received dozens of stories, photos, videos, and information and we are seeking more, to be amplified in social media and grow our  #HumansForUkraine campaign, using digital connectivity to increase global sensitivity and empathy and generate support. 

*If you are from Ukraine, feel free to send us content (text updates, photos, videos) at dcnglob@gmail.com.

The world wants to learn about what you go through. 

I’m Yana Rudenko, 23 y.o., one of the victims of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. I’m writing this email sitting in the bathroom as there is a threat of air raid sirens. I’m scared as I hear the sound of GRAD - so close and so loud. An hour ago, I heard my mom crying as I couldn’t connect with her the whole day and she told me “I love you”. My heart is exploding as bombs explode above the beautiful Ukrainian land. 

For 7  days we’ve stayed and slept either in the bathroom or in the basement. We’re hearing the bombs - the terrible sound of the war. I have never heard it before. How scaring it is! How terrible it is to get scared from each sound. Because of each sound we’re running fast to the bathroom with the hope to get safe.

However, Ukrainians are brave. We won’t give up. People lie under the tanks to stop it, civilians try to protect their land without weapons. Ukraine has shown its values and will.

Kyiv is the capital of freedom and boldness. Ukrainians will keep staying against evil till the last breath. 

I would be grateful for your help and support, and sharings as much as you can.

Regards, 

Yana Rudenko

We left Kyiv on the 25 of February... Now we are at our country house in the Kyivski region, 20 km from Kyiv. 10 people (5 kids, one man, 3 women, one grandmother), one dog, one cat, and one hedgehog...

At night we are staying in our basement...

The morning after we left Kyiv, the house near (400 meters) our house was bombed...

All my dear friends from abroad ask me how I feel. I decided to share an episode from my new #reality. Every few hours we do a status check with my family and friends. Mornings are especially terrifying and anxious, I reach for my phone to see if everyone is alive and safe. A few times per day and night, an overwhelming feeling of horror captivates and paralyses my body. It is so strong that I’m not even able to move my fingers. My heart is clenched, and I greedily gasp for air. With all my might, I pluck up my courage to put myself together and move. Do everything possible to hold the rear.

A few days before the war, I found out from my little nephew about a character from a horror cartoon – Siren Head. After watching a few videos on YouTube (here’s one of them but look up for more https://youtu.be/DfD9vfAtcdg), I thought to myself - it’s the most horrifying character I’ve ever seen. Now Siren Head is always in my head, and he is haunting the dearest to my heart family and friends, Ukrainians, and my country. Today my family and I had air strike sirens and church bells for breakfast. I hope the rest of the world slept well and enjoyed their Sunday morning. I miss my Sunday mornings. Take care of yourself and your beloved ones, appreciate each minute of peace, and remember inaction is also a crime, it is complicity and doom to death. Do not stay away from this, don’t be silent. Act, I’m begging you! Glory to Ukraine! Glory to Heroes! Glory to Armed Forces of Ukraine and its truly beautiful people!  

#StandwithUkraine #Ukraine

Just before the war I ended up in a hospital with a stroke. When the war started all patients who were able to walk on foot (ime as well) were asked to leave and stay home to free up space for wounded Ukrainian soldiers. Today, I had another stroke because I have been constantly living under danger and stress, running back and forth to and from the bomb shelter. Now, I have to stay in a hospital to receive urgent therapy. From my window, I see fighter aircrafts flying now and then. If there is an air raid alert or attack now, I will not have energy and strength to run and hide.

On the verge of a humanitarian catastrophe. There is no delivery of food, medicine, or fuel. The hospital was damaged by gunfire and is not working. ATMs do not work. There is no drinking water. In the photo, the queue for clean water. 

It was a quiet evening in Kharkiv, and the explosions and shelling almost stopped. But at midnight there were explosions in different parts of the city. At ten o'clock there were several air raids and the threat of shelling from planes flying from the Russian Federation. It is known that over the past day several shells hit residential buildings - both high-rise and private.

Changed the curfew - from 16.00 to 6.00.

Food is being delivered to bomb shelters in the metro. There are problems with the provision of some medical facilities, especially those with small children, they need food, diapers, etc. Volunteers are now working hard.

Photo from city metro from Valeria Bodnar, Kharkiv 

I'm Julia. I’m from Kharkiv. 

On 24th February at 5 a.m. I woke up from shots and explosions. Together with my boyfriend, sleepy, we realized that the war had begun.

Terrible.

We did not believe it.

I immediately wrote to my mother and sent her a video of the explosions.

Then I wrote to a friend from Moscow. Nobody believed that it would happen, because it is complete nonsense.

The company where my boyfriend works quickly organized an evacuation to Lviv. We gathered the most necessary things and left. We left our house. And we are unlikely to return, because a shell exploded near our house.

What should we suffer for?

Why such a price for Ukraine's accession to the EU?

Please, help us

Glory to Ukraine

Yesterday, I, my son and my mom were in a very cold cellar for five hours. Today he fell ill. Two days ago I had to leave this shelter in Kyiv where the children, the youngest of whom was 9 months old, slept. 

My name is Kateryna and I am from Ukraine, from Kyiv. I live and work in Kyiv at an IT company developing unmanned technologies and on the 25th of February my colleagues and I were planning to travel abroad to present our company abroad. In one night my life and the lives of my friends and family has changed to the worst thing imaginable - we woke up because of the explosions sounds to know that Russia declared war. I’ve never imagined to see the bomb shells on a street on the way to home. To leave my Apartment not knowing if I ever will be able to come back. I am scared to fall asleep knowing that I might never open my eyes again. It’s all because we are under attack by Russian Federation and now, Belarus. Just last night, Russian missiles launched from Belarus hit Zhytomyr and Chernihiv cities. Kyiv is located between those two cities. Today they almost destroyed Kharkiv city with Grad systems and other heavy weaponry. 

Russia wages a war against us, against people who support democracy and free will. We suffer from the mindless persona with tyrannical views and no appreciation of human life. 

Can you imagine waking  up in the middle of the night to the sound of an aerial alarm, to the startle of any noise, to explain to your child why we are sleeping in the underground every night in your country. It might sound cheesy or banal, but it is true, because I did not imagine it, yet I am living it right now.

My family and I, still in Kyiv, are not able and honestly don’t want to leave our place of living. Every evening while being in the shelter we start to discuss the news, and at some point we look at each other and someone says the same thought every one has: “it’s the 21st century, there were too many wars already, I can’t believe what’s going on”.

Our soldiers show great courage and will to protect us and our country, yet we ask for your support. Please close the Ukrainian sky, please give us hope to wake up and have a future. We will do the rest. The president of the Russian Federation already threatens to use nuclear missiles. It shows how crazily determined he is in his greed to remake the world in his own picture. The actions of the Russian government affects the free world.

In this picture I am in the underground with my mother, and my dog, even there we were still able to hear explosions. 

My parents Lidia and Leonid Kavun live in Cherkasy which is 100 miles south from Kyiv. I, Natalia Kavun, live in New York City which is 7507 miles away from Kyiv. They are both in their sixties. My heart breaks for my parents whom I called at 5AM, on February 24 (Ukrainian time) to inform them that the war has started. How has war impacted their life? I believe you have seen enough footage of that. My parents have to go to the basement of the neighboring building when the local government announces a state of emergency. How many times have they gone there and how many nights they did not go to bed? Cherkasy is a fortunate city since it has not been much on the radar of the Russian army, but that has changed during the last two days. Yesterday they spent the whole night in the basement. Did they sleep? No. Were they able to lay down? No. Did they have any amenities? No. Did they cough because of the dust? Yes. They cannot go to sleep because of anxiety. In that basement, it is not only them but their neighbors, friends, and their pets. How many people are in that tiny basement? About 10. It is a small room, about 60 square foot. People have united to stand up and protect each other from the enemy. Ukrainians are stronger than ever before. They are terrified of Russians coming to our city but my parents refuse to leave because they believe in Ukraine and the inner power that Ukrainians as a nation demonstrate to the whole world. Also, my mom was outside trying to get some fresh air but she saw some helicopters circling around our neighborhood, so she tried to look at them to see if they are Russian or Ukrainian. This is a new reality. Of course, she got yelled at by the policemen who were nearby. But this is just a new reality that Ukrainians have not adjusted to. It breaks my heart that I cannot help them or Ukraine. I beg for your attention to Ukraine and to close the Ukrainian sky. Ukrainians deserve to live and have the life that they built with so much of hard work for the last 30 years. I am proud to be Ukrainian. Glory to Ukraine!

February 28, Kyiv, Ukraine

People are a little less than small dust in the millstones of history. This phrase from my university course in the philosophy of history takes on a literal meaning right now, when I am in a basement on the outskirts of Kyiv, after yet another air-raid warning. 

Significant historic events are interesting to read about when in the textbooks. And I sincerely wish you to study it only from outside sources. Because being at the epicenter of history means frantically calling relatives and friends, hoping to hear a short message: we are alive. The troop movements and battle dates that mattered so much in the exam actually are blether. The crippled lives of hundreds of thousands of people stand behind them. And they make the real story of the war - collect a few socks and a toothbrush in a backpack to the sound of a hollow pop outside the window. I just don’t imagine going back to the past and convincing myself to take the threat of war hanging in the air and the news more seriously. I would call it insane nonsense. I would not believe that I spent Thursday morning in search of a nearby bomb shelter.

I would not believe that then I would go to the queue for the volunteer defense detachment. There will be turmoil, full reserve lists, empty stocks of arms and lack of ammunition in the face of the oncoming Russian army. I would understand that I do not have some necessary pills, and the tactical flashlight still remains at the closed post office. 

Let all this not seem unimportant to you now. Personal safety, first medical aid instructions, an equipped bomb shelter save the lives of my people at this time. This is what stands behind the historical dates - how to gain energy sleeping for two hours at night, how to recognize friends from strangers, how not to be numb with fear at the sounds of machine-gun fire, and most importantly, how not to go crazy with anxiety and a sense of powerlessness. And if I already got used to the first points in the first four days of the attack of the enemy Russian army, then I am coping with the last one at the moment - documenting everything I experienced on paper.

Describing rows of burnt tanks on my road from home to the beach, a ruined house opposite my football stadium, empty shelves of my store in the northern part of the besieged Kyiv is difficult because of the notorious fog of war that does not allow emotions to settle. But, I can record the determination of my people to fight against external aggression by any means, the heroism of the army standing in defense of my family, the courage of the government inspiring hope, and the strength of my family in the face of death. This is what should be written in the new history books of the rising country, and what you should know about the history of the new world in the making.

Please find the photo from Kharkiv.  Sent by my colleague. She is now there. It is a real hell - she says.  It's today 01.03.2022.

A military shell in the ground is in the yard of her own house.  Destroyed cars- first stolen by Russian soldiers from local people and then destroyed.

Part 1

I woke up at 5 am with Anton saying - it has started. I am in Kyiv and heard explosions at 5:30 am from the Boryspil airport side. It is quiet now. The lines to stores are huge. War is here. 

The lady in a tiny food store is trembling and crying. Her son studies military something and was called early this morning to protect our country. I hugged her and she cried on my shoulder. This is the best I can do right now. Hug people around me. And accept that it is happening. The war is here.

Part 2

I almost haven’t slept tonight. At 7 am there was an air raid alert. We took our things and cat and ran to the basement. 

I’ve made a difficult decision to leave Kyiv. It hurts a lot. I wish no one to understand how it feels to leave your home, friends and heart because there is war. To see tanks, people with kids and pets, soldiers all in one place, in the capital of your country. 

I am safe now. Driving to the west in a bus for 12 hours now. Crying most of the time. My parents and my brother are in the south of Ukraine. Where the fights are severe. It’s so unbelievable but so true. There is war in my country. And what my people go through can only be understood by those  who have ever gone through war in their country.

Part 3

My dear international friends, I have so much to say but I am so tired as well. I am safe in Zakarpattia(Western Ukraine). I ate, slept for three hours. I am safe. But my parents, my brother and my friends are still in the zone of attacks. The videos and the news are horrible. I don’t plan to leave Ukraine. I want to come back to Kyiv as soon as possible. I want to thank you for the support. You ask me how you can help - first of all, please, don’t get used to the idea that there is WAR in Ukraine. Keep reposting. I will try to put together what you can do.

My eyes are filled with warm tears when I see how people unite in Ukraine and around Ukraine. I want to say special THANKS to RUSSIAN people who go to protests, make reposts, and change their minds! You are brave people! Thank you that you go beyond your fear! I know how fear can stop from moving, doing, wanting to see the other side of what’s going on. We can stop this war together!!!

I feel so much pain. PEOPLE ARE BEING KILLED FROM BOTH SIDES. And I see that hate breeds around. And it’s understandable. I try to concentrate on the idea that I want to have peace in my country, in this world. And I want to save peoples lives. 

I am so grateful to my army and president. I hope they can have at least some sleep. 

I will try to keep updating you. It is important to me, and I know it is important to you.

With deep love to Ukraine and the world.