Jan 4How Could We Know The Value Of Peace If There Were No Wars?Tears are dripping from my tired eyes one by one onto cold, wet concrete. I’m in a bomb shelter in occupied Mariupol. I have been on the verge of life and death for two months. I feel nothing and want to leave this terrible place that became my second home…Creation Vs Destruction13 min readCreation Vs Destruction13 min read
Jan 4Fresh wounds on the white canvasIt was so hard to lose everything at once that my heart broke apart with pain. The sounds of explosions were coming from every direction, and I could not pull my thoughts together. My town seemed so fragile and vulnerable that I wished I could protect it from the pain…Strength24 min readStrength24 min read
Jan 4Musicians Do Not Live UndergroundMom, mom, mom, mom, mom, mom, where are you, mom, where is Alina, where are you, mom, mom, mom! “Please answer, mom. Please,” I whispered, clutching the phone. I was following the crowd of people exiting the subway. Phone rings and the pounding of my heart drowned each other out…Despite Everything43 min readDespite Everything43 min read
Dec 29, 2022The Festival of Stolen CultureRecently, I have seen a poster of the so-called “Festival of Russian Culture in India” in the city where I live, organized by the local Russian consulate. There were three events on the list. The first one was the Dagestani dance performance. The second — the ensemble of the Cossack…Creation Vs Destruction3 min readCreation Vs Destruction3 min read
Dec 29, 2022When will you go away, you traitor?The Ukrainian city of Kherson was under occupation for more than eight months. Having occupied the city in spite of the powerful civic resistance, on March 1 the Russian army shot 17 territorial defense soldiers from tanks. The territorial defense was equipped only with machine guns. Some of them, ready…Wars Paradoxes5 min readWars Paradoxes5 min read
Dec 29, 2022The New Black in UkraineThe first news about the potential blackout in the capital of Ukraine shocked everyone. …Creation Vs Destruction4 min readCreation Vs Destruction4 min read
Dec 19, 2022Don’t get me wrongFor people to trust you — you have to show fear, but not to show anger or decisiveness. For people to trust you — you have to meet the expectations of being a victim. …20 min read20 min read
Nov 18, 2022The Lakshmi Puja QuestionTwo weeks ago* I was invited to a party in the Indian city of Kolkata where I have been living since the beginning of the year. The evening was dedicated to the Hindu goddess Lakshmi, the patroness of fortune, affluence and prosperity. Our hostess and good friend, Jeena, was wearing…Despite Everything3 min readDespite Everything3 min read
Nov 18, 2022The Echo of the War at the End of the WorldHalf of my life ago, in 2004 to be more precise, I stayed for one year in the USA as an exchange student. It was quite an experience for a 16-year-old Ukrainian girl who grew up on American movies and TV series on the high school teen life. So I…3 min read3 min read
Nov 11, 2022Front? Are you sure?The word “front” in the dictionary of the Ukrainian language has got nine meanings. That is incredibly a lot, since when I normally work with texts and check specific words, they have several lexical meanings. After February 24 our life in Ukraine was split into two intervals — “before” and…4 min read4 min read
