"My tato fought the fascists. And now they have come to us again.
This letter was sent to Eyewitness Facebook by Olga, a subscriber from Ukraine. She has lived all her life in Lviv, where she worked as a ballet dancer at the Solomy Krushelnytsky Opera House. Solomy Krushelnytska. The pandemic had taken her husband and sister, and now war had taken away her peaceful life. The letter was written in Ukrainian. We publish it in two languages with minor editorial corrections:
- I can also write in Russian. More precisely, in Ukrainian.
My fatherland is Ukraine. I was born here, I met my love, had children and had children's grandchildren. Also in Lviv, where "Bandera's are one by one". My motherland lived happily in Lvov. Russian!
I was born in Lviv. I worked for 25 years at the Solomy Krushelnytsky Opera House as a ballet dancer. My father was a soldier, a Hero of the Soviet Union. Always said to me: "You are Ukrainian". He himself was born in Zaporizhzhya.
My mother is a Chuvash. But they gave birth to me a long time ago, and they are long gone. We met my boyfriend at school and lived together for 45 years. Then a pandemic. My sister and boyfriend died. I just-started coming to see you-and then the war. Lilacs...
We had the opportunity to go to the Carpathian Mountains, to the village of Volosyanka. My daughter, son-in-law, three granddaughters and the dog went to the village. Then the children went to Lviv to work and meet immigrants and we stayed in the village with our granddaughters. We started online. Two of them also played musical instruments. So we spent winter, spring and summer in the Carpathians. Wonderful people were in order: both locals and immigrants. We were there with our granddaughters, and in Lviv our children met people from Kyiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Kharkiv, and Mariupol. People just lived with us for free. Then they went somewhere else. Some went home and some went abroad.
In the spring we returned to Lvov. The lilacs are humming in the cellars. What helps us to stay strong? The fact that we have a good attitude. Perhaps that's the best way to say it. My father fought with the fascists. And now they have come to us again, the same!
I still want to tell people like Solovyov to suck their tongue. And I also want to add: I have been abroad more than once. I just never wanted to be lost there. All my life I have been calm and quiet in Ukraine. And then the orcs came to "put us out". Don't let them take care of themselves.
Now I hate the "Russian world," as you call it. And the proclivities tear so much. I do not want to voice it. When I meet adequate people from Russia, the tears fall from my eyes.
- I can also write in Russian. It is more appropriate to write in Ukrainian.
My homeland is Ukraine. I was born here, met my love, had children here, and now I have grandchildren here. Moreover, in Lviv, where "Bandera's are one and the same". My family lived happily in Lviv. Russian-speaking!
I was born in Lviv. I worked for 25 years at the Solomy Krushelnytsky Opera House as a ballet dancer. I was born in Lviv and worked for 25 years at the Solomy Krushelnytsky Opera House as a ballet dancer. My father was a military man, a Hero of the Soviet Union. He always told me: "You're Ukrainian". He himself was born in Zaporozhye.
My mother is a Chuvash. But they gave birth to me very late, and they are long gone. My husband and I met at school and lived together for 45 years. Then the pandemic. My sister and the man I loved died. I was just beginning to come to my senses - and then war. Sirens...
We had the opportunity to move to the Carpathians, to the village of Volosyanka. My daughter, son-in-law, three granddaughters and my dog went to the village. Then the children went to Lviv to work and meet the immigrants, and my granddaughters and I stayed in the village. They studied online. Two of them also played musical instruments. So we spent winter, spring and summer in the Carpathians. Wonderful people were around: both locals and immigrants. We were there with our granddaughters, and in Lviv we met people from Kyiv, Dnipro, Kharkiv, and Mariupol. People just lived with us for free. Then they went away wherever they went. Some went home and some went abroad.
In the fall we returned to Lviv. Like sirens blaring - through the basements. What helps to hold on? That we are right. Probably couldn't have said it better. My daddy fought the Nazis. And now they've come to us again, the same thing!
I keep wanting to tell people like Solovyov to suck their tongues. And I would also like to add: I have been abroad, and more than once. I just never wanted to stay there. All my life I was calm and comfortable in Ukraine. And then the orcs came to "save" us. Let them save themselves.
Now I hate the "Russian world," as you call it. And the curses just keep bursting out. I don't want to voice them. When I run into adequate people from Russia, tears pour from my eyes.
Reading people's stories makes me want to cry. I was born in a German family in Kazakhstan (1971), we had a class of 38 people with different nationalities, but there was never any hostility towards each other on the basis of nationality! I never heard Germans in my class being called names. I was shocked when Russia attacked Ukraine, I couldn't speak, my husband immediately took the side of Ukraine (he is a former Muscovite). My girlfriend told me the news the next day (we have been living in Germany since 2003). I met her in Germany, she is from Russia), and she told me joyfully what cities were taken in Ukraine. I listened to her and could only squeeze out of myself: "Valya, what are you doing, people are dying there, there are children there! "She fell silent and never spoke again on the subject. Over time, I realized from her words that she began to realize what was happening.