As Ukraine marks four years since the full-scale Russian invasion, young people are sharing their stories of resilience. Voices of Children, a Ukrainian charity, highlights the experiences of teenagers living through war.
Seventeen-year-old Oleksandra, displaced from Bakhmut, has lost her home and grandfather. Studying online for years, she describes a life dictated by power outage schedules and air raid alerts. Her strength comes from her younger brother and family, with dreams of university and a fulfilling life.
Fourteen-year-old Marko from Kryvyi Rih likens wartime to Groundhog Day, marked by constant fear and air-raid alerts. He finds that the fear of dying paradoxically pushes him to live and grow. The war has become a backdrop to life, impacting even his birthday celebrations.
Sofia, from Odesa, lost her father on the frontlines. She describes the profound silence that falls across the country for a minute of silence each morning, a moment filled with despair and anxiety. The war has stolen her adolescence, but she finds solace in the sea.
Nineteen-year-old Mariia struggles with a lost sense of home, having moved multiple times. The grief of leaving Feodosia, Crimea, surfaces often. While acknowledging that places change, she finds gradual acceptance amidst the pain.