I am a researcher, not a military man. But there is war in my country: letter from the front
I am not a military man. I never wanted to be in the military. I am a researcher,…
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First-hand accounts
39 posts
First-hand accounts and true stories from Ukraine.
“Dearest daughter, it’s total Hell. Death is everywhere” – Ukrainian father on the frontline
Dearest daughter, I’m writing to you from a distant place where the sky and the earth are ablaze…
Ukrainian man climbs out of grave after being shot by Russian invaders
The three brothers were captured by the Russians after the occupation of their village. They were then taken…
“At first, I did not want to live.” Ukrainian nurse got married after Russian mine took her legs
Oksana: “I did not want to live like that. I didn’t want to be a burden to my…
Escape from Mariupol. “I begged God to let me die quickly!”
Mariupol residents Mariya and her family spent almost one month hiding from Russian shelling and bombs. 17-year-old Mariya…
Imagine your city under siege with no electricity. I lived through it in Ukraine
A large modern metropolis spending a week without electricity. Could anyone imagine something like that happening in Ukraine…
“My name was on Russia’s kill lists,” Mariupol journalist who joined territorial defense says
“I didn’t want to leave Mariupol, but on the first night after the beginning of the full-scale Russian…
Russian occupiers in Makariv shelled the civilian shelter “in an instant” – Dispatch from Ukraine
The town of Makariv is a small quiet picturesque place in the Kyiv Oblast. For a long time,…
“Russians are wrecking everything out of envy”: Ukrainian recalls harrowing escape, shares thoughts about Russia
Contents First days of Russian war against UkraineHouse on fire No intention of becoming a refugee“People are always…
“They talked on the phone until his father’s heart stopped.” How Russia’s invasion destroyed my world
Contents My world before and afterWaiting 16 days for a single text messageMy heart torn to piecesI know…
Russia turned Bucha into one big torture chamber. Dispatch from Ukraine
I stood on the sidewalk, full of motor oil stains, engine parts, and fragments of uniforms near a…
“Let’s tell our daughters we love them if we’re about to die in the fire.” How Russian shell hit my home
“We didn’t plan to leave Kyiv under any circumstances. If it hadn’t happened to us and we had…
War diary: “Terrified of what He saw, God has left Mariupol, my neighbor said”
Contents Mariupol diary: February 24Mariupol diary: February 25Mariupol diary: February 26Mariupol diary: February 27Mariupol diary: March 1Mariupol diary:…
“They talked to us like we were criminals” – how Russian occupiers deported me from Mariupol
On 24 March, the Mariupol City Council reported that Russian forces started deporting about 15,000 Mariupol residents from…
“I’m sure I’ll die soon. It’s a matter of days” – resident of besieged Mariupol
Waiting for death I go outside in between bombings. I need to walk my dog. It constantly whines,…
“The Russian military rape women, the dead are just being dumped,” evacuee from Russian-occupied city says
“Irpin is Hell. There are plenty of Russian soldiers out there who just shoot people who enter private…
“Mariupol people melt snow, drink water from heating mains”: besieged city faces total destruction
“I learned by chance from social media that a shell hit our apartment in Mariupol and it burned…
“There are no words to describe that fear.” How I managed to escape the Russian siege alive
“We went out and down under the ruined bridge where there were like 300 people. When the guys…
“I understand that this is genocide.” Oleksandr, 34, Kharkiv
Oleksandr Shamrai, 34, comes from Luhansk Oblast. In 2009, he came to Kharkiv and stayed there. He is…