It's normal to want to do something in response to the pain brought by war. However, the war in Ukraine turned out to be a marathon rather than a sprint. There inevitably comes a point when exhaustion and apathy take over. Where can people find the strength and energy to keep moving forward? Olena Zenchenko shares her way of coping.
This is the second time Yuliia Denysova experienced a Russian military attack in her life. The first time she had to endure it was long ago, in her childhood, when she and her parents fled shelling in Transnistria. Remembering these episodes of her distant past, her main goal in February of 2022 was to save her own kid from war. The time she spent away from home gave her an understanding of what you always need to mend first.
The air raid sirens go off every day. People haven't removed the tape from their windows yet. Those who come to Kharkiv for a few days can see the scale of destruction. The locals, however, pay most of their attention to what’s already being restored. Another shop or café opens, traffic lights start working again – for the people, these are small signs of a longed-for return to normal life.