Separated from their family and friends in Ukraine, Anna Krys and Pavlo Bogachenko share their perspectives on the hostilities initiated by the Russian army on their home country. Being abroad and unable to physically fight, Anna and Pavlo have taken up arms in the media field instead. The couple are amplifying their voices through the media to spread the word about the plight of Ukrainians, requesting people to #StandWithUkraine.
Anna, who has previously worked in Dublin, was in the US with her partner, Pavlo Bogachenko, when the conflict commenced. The couple are eager to share their stories on the current situation in Ukraine, hoping it will shed light on Ukraine’s need for support.
Anna’s Ukrainian hometown, Odessa, has been subject to ongoing attacks since February 24. With her family and friends trying to “survive another day in bomb shelters” in Odessa and Kyiv, Anna simply cannot feel safe or calm, despite being far away from the conflict. Anna still can’t believe what is happening; there is “not even a single place in Ukraine right now where you can feel safe”. Anna wishes it is all just a nightmare, and that she will wake up soon.
On the night that the hostilities started, Anna and Pavlo were in Albany. They woke up at 3 am because of an unexplainable “gut feeling that something bad was going on”. Unfortunately, their intuition proved to be right. Messages from her friends around the globe saying: “We are with you, everything will be fine etc” flooded Anna’s phone as she watched the news aghast. “The airports were closed immediately, so there was no way to get home,” she tells me. Back in Odessa, Anna’s mother was waking her 14-year-old nephew up with the words: “Wake up, our port and city are under attack; the war has started.”. No teenager should have to be awakened with such harrowing words.
Although Russia alleges that “they are not attacking civilian infrastructures”, Ukrainian natives know that this is not the case. Russian attacks in Kyiv and other cities frequently “hit civilians, residential buildings, hospitals, and other civil infrastructure”, Anna explains. Anna and Pavlo’s friends that are in Kyiv are “constantly alert”. They are living a regimented routine, back and forth from their homes to bomb shelters. She also claims that Russian soldiers are committing war crimes against the innocent people of Ukraine.
Despite the Russian army’s best efforts, Ukrainians are staying “strong and united no matter what”. They are fighting to protect their “home, families, and future generations”. Regardless of how the Russian propaganda portrays their army’s attacks, their actions are “unprovoked acts of aggression”, they have initiated a “full-scale invasion and war against Ukraine and its people”.
Never in their wildest dreams would Anna and Pavlo have expected an attack from Russia. In the Second World War, Ukrainians and Russians were “fighting together against fascism”. Anna criticises the people supporting Putin’s actions, deeming them “slaves of propaganda”.
At 1:30 am on March 4th, it was reported that the Russian army had shelled power units of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Station, the largest nuclear power plant in Europe. “The consequences of an explosion in this power plant would be much larger than Chernobyl in 1986,” Anna tells me.
I asked Anna how she and Pavlo have been coping with these hardships. She shares that their “lives have been changed forever”. People have told the couple that they were “blessed” to be outside of Ukraine when the attacks started, but they miss being close to their loved ones. “We want to go back home, hug our friends and parents, get back to our daily routine.” Most of all, the pair just want to know that their country is safe.
Anna and Pavlo believe that Ukraine will stand and win, but they “still need support from the world to hold the enemy down”. The city of Mariupol is facing a humanitarian catastrophe, its people are cut off from water, food, power, and communication. Anna is horrified that in the 21st Century, a child in Mariupol has died of dehydration. “This is the invasion of our country; this is shameful for the whole civilised world,” she states.
The couple insist that while the Ukrainian army is “strong and holding the Russians back”, they are still in need of help. They believe that that there is “not enough pressure, not enough sanctions from the West, not enough support”. It is imperative that Ukraine receives more military aid, but what they need most of all, is a “protected sky from NATO”.
Anna and Pavlo are asking the people of Ireland to support Ukraine on an individual level. You can donate to charities supporting Ukrainian victims and refugees: https://lnkd.in/ddPUfNRQ]. Following and sharing about the conflict among others is also a significant form of support.(https://kyivindependent.com ); https://www.instagram.com/svidomi_eng ). You can also join the rallies against the Russian federation in your city (the schedule: https://www.stopputin.net/ ). Anna and Pavlo request the Irish public to reach out to their local government to put pressure and sanctions on Russia.
Anna and Pavlo just want to get back home. They want to help their fellow Ukrainians to “work hard to rebuild [their] country”. Anna proudly states that Ukrainians are strong, and that they are as united as ever. “We stand for our country, but any single country in Europe can be next if we fall. So stand with us now”.
