The Eastern Ukrainian Centre for Civic Initiatives presented the book “Living Against All Odds: Women’s Stories of War, 2014 and 2022” at M. Kotsiubynskyi Library in Chernihiv.
The book was written by 11 Ukrainian women of different professions, ages and from different regions about their experiences of war and how they searched for resilience. The stories show the life under Russian occupation, the loss of loved ones, property and health due to the war, captivity, war-related sexual and gender-based violence, etc. A significant part of the stories is devoted to what supported the authors during these upheavals.
One of the authors, Maryna Suprun, who survived captivity in the village of Yahidne in Chernihiv Oblast, recalled how the Russian military reinforced physical abuse with emotional one:
“There was constant emotional terror when they came and said that they already occupied Chernihiv, they already occupied Kyiv. And you just stayed there and couldn’t give up. They said: ‘Well, never mind — soon you will be ours too, everything will be fine. Our guys will live in your houses soon.”
According to Maryna, when she recalls what she went through, the idea that she survived for something important helps her.
Another author, Halyna Tyshchenko, a representative of SEMA Ukraine, told how she survived the Russian occupation twice — in 2014 and in 2022. At the beginning of the war, the woman lived in Kramatorsk:
“In 2014, we were living a peaceful life, but someone wanted our lives, wanted to liberate us, and we experienced the occupation. We saw all the horrors they were doing back then: killing, tortures.” Another shelling helped the family decide to leave. “The sudden shelling was intense. Two people nearby were killed. That was the last straw for our family; we had to go somewhere. I suggested going closer to the heart of our Ukraine, to Kyiv Oblast, because it would definitely be safe there.”
In 2022, she faced Russian occupation again in Kyiv Oblast. The woman endured abuse from the Russian military, but made a firm decision to testify about what she survived. To speak for those who can no longer speak about the crimes of the Russian army because they have been tortured to death. This gives her the strength not to stop and to seek out people to join her in her efforts.
“We must unite and support each other in order to continue our fight because you can see what has been happening since 2014. For them, there are no children, no elderly people. The Russians have no mercy on anyone.”
Stalina Chubenko, who described her experience as a mother in her book, told the audience about her son, who was tortured by pro-Russian separatists. Sixteen-year-old Stepan from Kramatorsk was killed in 2014 for his pro-Ukrainian stance.
“That’s what they did with his life. A boy who was born in Ukraine, who loved Ukraine, who did not become a traitor to Ukraine, who loved its symbols.”
Stalina said that what helps her move forward is the sense that she now lives two lives — her own and the one her son would have lived — and she constantly thinks about what he would have done in this or that situation.
“There is so much grief now, so many lives lost, and we must preserve their memory, write about them, and pass this knowledge on to the younger generation of Ukrainians”, she said emotionally to those present.
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 Center 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).
