30 Young Ukrainians Tell Their War Stories

[Nevilledog]

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ryan cooper
@ryanlcooper
"I saw a warplane for the first time in my life on the way to the supermarket. The shelves were quite bare, but I bought four bottles of wine in case we need to prepare Molotov cocktails."

nymag.com
30 Young Ukrainians Tell Their War Stories
An oral history of the first two weeks of the Russian invasion.
11:37 AM · Mar 14, 2022

https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/ukraine-war-diary.html

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https://archive.ph/pFZdJ

CHAPTER 1

‘I Bought Four Bottles of Wine in Case We Need to Prepare Molotov Cocktails’

February 23

Russian forces surround Ukraine on three sides. The U.S. warns that an invasion is imminent. Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy declares a state of emergency.
Aleksey, 26, a printing manager in Kyiv

I was standing with my friend on the Yurkovytsia Mountain, which overlooks the whole city, and we joked, “Just imagine — bombs are going to fall on Kyiv.”
Viktoriia Khutorna, 24, a television journalist in Kyiv

In the middle of the day, I texted my English teacher. We were supposed to meet, and she said, “I’m sorry. I totally forgot about our lesson.” She had decided to leave Ukraine at the last minute and was on her way to the airport. I said, “Why didn’t you tell me before? I might have planned something else.” So now I had a free evening and nothing to do with it.

I try to stay out of politics. Ever since 2014, when I was worried about my mom, who protested in Maidan Square, I decided not to be involved or to constantly watch the news because it was traumatizing to follow the news and not know what’s happening to my relatives.
Later, I was on the phone with my mother and told her I had a bad feeling. She said, “Don’t worry. It’s crazy to invade Ukraine fully — especially Kyiv.”

I said maybe I should leave for a couple of days. But then I thought, I don’t really have money. So I spent some time watching Inventing Anna on Netflix and learning some English by myself.

*snip*

[tanyev]

1. Kick.

[Demovictory9]

2. Mariia Shuvalova, 28, a Ph.D. candidate in Kyiv Very late at night, I got an alert that probably Ru

Mariia Shuvalova, 28, a Ph.D. candidate in Kyiv
Very late at night, I got an alert that probably Russia would invade. I was shocked, and I started charging my laptop and power bank but then I thought, No, that is impossible. It’s dumb. It’s just crazy shit. And I went to sleep.