On 10 May, Makariv hosted the presentation of the book “Living Against All Odds: Women’s Stories of War, 2014 and 2022”. The book presentation took place in the cultural and recreational space of the NGO “Association of Makariv Area Combat Veterans” in the “Dubky” gardening partnership.

The book was published at the initiative of the Eastern Ukrainian Centre for Civic Initiatives (EUCCI) and aims to preserve the memory of women who survived war crimes and show their resilience amid extreme hardship. The women’s stories contain not only war testimonies, but also the grounds for hope, support and recovery from trauma.

“The book tells about many life-affirming moments. The women wrote about what keeps them going: it is embroidery for some of them and music for others. It is the presence of understanding eyes and the sense of community for others that weaves through every story like a common thread”, said Maryna Suprun, one of the authors and EUCCI representative.

For the book, the young woman  wrote her story about being held captive by the Russians in the village of Yahidne. She recalled how she and other villagers were kept without proper food and fed macaroni with diesel fuel. With no water left, people had to pump it from street sewers. She also told how the occupiers did not allow removing the bodies of those who had died from suffocation in the basement until there were ‘enough’ of them.

She emphasized that despite the fears and traumatic experience she had endured, they actually gave her a great deal.

“I don’t care now if I get good grades or have fashionable clothes. It is much more important that I can go outside. Now, I can even cry when the weather is nice. What is important is that I can sleep in my bed, that I can take a shower, and that I have wet wipes in my bag.”

The daughter of one of the authors, Liudmila Bilenka, was also present at the event. She said that her mother’s story, as told in the book, is about pain and the fear of not understanding what is happening to your child. It is also a story about hardship, the struggle for her son’s rights in our country, and the search for support in these circumstances. After all, in 11 years her brother, despite numerous testimonies about his detention in Russian prisons, still does not have the status of a prisoner of war.

“My mother is a very strong woman. I don’t know how I would act and what I would do in this situation. She inspires me greatly with her refusal to give up. I am grateful that life placed the right people by her side. Because it is very hard to stay alone in trouble, but when you share your pain and experiences, you find the strength to live.”

The participants shared their stories of experiencing war and self-support.

Oksana Herasymenko, a former prisoner and representative of SEMA Ukraine, recalled her experiences while in captivity by the occupiers in Donetsk in 2014.

“Of course, there was nothing good about being in captivity. Those were terrible days. You couldn’t know if you would live that very moment, or if you would be alive tomorrow. But at that time, I was supported by the fact that I heard cannon fire and explosions. And I was inspired by the feeling that our Ukrainian army was coming. They were coming to free me and the 211 soldiers who were with me in captivity. I knew that the explosions symbolised that our army was coming and that it was somewhere nearby.”

The woman concluded that even if she and other witnesses did not live to see the criminals punished, the testimonies in these books would ultimately contribute to ensure theses criminals were fairly punished.

The event was attended by local librarians, history teachers, military personnel, families of the dead and missing, and volunteers. They will convey the eyewitnesses’ testimonies and ensure that the crimes committed by the Russians are not forgotten by Ukrainians and the whole world.

The second edition of  “Living Against All Odds: Women’s Stories of War, 2014 and 2022” and its further distribution were made possible by the “Empowering civil society for a transformation of commemorative culture - non-violent contributions to deal with Russia's war against Ukraine” Project implemented by the Eastern Ukrainian Centre for Civic Initiatives with the support of Kurve Wustrow – Centre for Training and Networking in Non-Violent Action as part of the Civil Peace Service (CPS) project.