Матеріали автора Olha Makukha

47-year-old Oleksandr Antonenko from Chernihiv took part in the battles for the hill near the village of Novoselivka near Chernihiv (an interactive reconstruction of these events is here).Before the war, he worked as a welder, joined the Armed Forces as a volunteer, and was enlisted in the 1st tank brigade.He says: "[When we were enlisted in the army], we were told that we were taken to do maintenance, and I was surprised that they would also pay us a salary on top of that. On the same day, we received weapons. But we got no uniform. Whatever kind of clothes people came in, they wore them in combat."Less than two weeks after voluntary mobilization, Oleksandr was captured during battle.We spoke with him in January 2023, after he returned home. Next are Oleksandr's direct words.Translated by Dmitry Lytov & Mike LytovЧитати українською

“Dad, I’m scared of the plane” whispers the two-year-old Kira and snuggles against her father. Her longing for protection fills my heart with pain. I dreamed that our baby girl would associate airplanes with travel and leisure while enjoying a relaxed and prosperous life. Instead, airplanes have come to mean death.A joint project of TEXTY and "Vist" newspaper (Chernihiv)

Mykola Topol, a member of the territorial defense unit from Chernihiv, miraculously survived the bombing of school No. 18 in his home city on March 3, 2022.“The lad pushed four fingers into the gap between the slabs,” Chernihiv State Emergency Service Officer Maksym Zhilko says.The rescued young man lived at 46 Bohuna Street. Shortly before the bombing, he came to the school which housed the headquarters of the local territorial defense.Translated by Dmitry Lytov, Mikhail Lytov