WILL THAULT: Revisiting Tanya’s story from Ukraine on Independence Day

By Will Thault
[email protected]

This week marks the 34th anniversary of a very special day in the history of Ukraine. It
was on this date, Aug. 24, 1991, that the Ukrainian parliament adopted the Act of
Declaration of Independence, officially breaking ties with the Soviet Union.

Later that December, a nationwide referendum was held, and it wasn’t even close. More than 92% of voters confirmed independence, with an 84% turnout across the country.

Today these same people find themselves in the midst of a second declaration of independence. The first was won by voting – the second by defending it. A holiday that once celebrated freedom now reminds them of why they must fight to remain free.

It’s been more than three long years since I first shared the story of Tanya and her
family’s determination to survive the Russian invasion of her homeland that began in
February 2022. Through a series of Instagram posts, we learned first-hand what it’s like
living in Kyiv under the constant barrage of drone and rocket attacks on homes, schools
and hospitals far from the combat zone to the southeast. The statistics are staggering.

Over this time, nearly 50,000 Ukrainian civilians, including more than 3,000 children,
have been killed or wounded in this war. Add to that another 400,000 Ukrainian and
950,000 (some sources say more than 1 million) Russian military casualties, according to
the Center for Strategic and International Studies. This makes it the deadliest
war in Europe since World War II.

Numbers such as these can be numbing until you zero in on the psychological and
physical toll it takes on those who continue to survive. That’s where Tanya comes in.

She has given permission to share a few quotes from her posts on the constant terror
they face as the Russians take the war to non-combatants far from the front lines.

“I often come across the expression ‘Ukrainian conflict,'” she said. “Please don’t say that. First, it is not a conflict. This is war. And secondly, this is not a Ukrainian war, but a Russian war in Ukraine. Because otherwise it sounds as if we attacked ourselves, which is not the case.”

…

“Ukraine was attacked vilely and treacherously by Russia. It is important.”

…
“CNN writes that Iran is modifying the attack drones it supplies to Russia so that the
explosive warheads can cause maximum damage to infrastructure facilities on the
territory of Ukraine.”
…
“The Russians are committing genocide against the Ukrainian people. It happens like
this: First, strikes on critical infrastructure facilities, especially energy facilities. Because
of this, water treatment pumps and water supply pumps stop. Water is not supplied to
the apartments, the sewage system does not work. There is no electricity, ATMs do not
work, roads for food and medicine deliveries are cut off. Siege, crowds of refugees,
tanks, burned cars. Think it’s just delusional on TV? No. All this is happening in
Ukraine now. This is how the Russians besieged, for example, Mariupol. This is what
they are trying to do with Kyiv.”

…
“Morning in Ukraine. The Russians shelled Chernihiv and Kyiv; more than 25 rockets
were fired from the territory of Belarus at the very time of dawn, when the sweetest
sleep is. We have to become a nation that doesn’t sleep. Instead of sleeping, we listen
to rockets flying, windows shaking, rockets exploding. Then we call all relatives and
friends … are you OK? We have breakfast. We live. Russian missiles again. Kharkiv,
Kropyvnytskyl. There are victims. There are victims every day – for what? What is the
purpose of the Russians? I cannot understand!”

…
“I don’t know how it works. How can love flourish where there is so much hate? How
life grows in a world full of death? How creativity lives even in those times when it
seems there is only room for pain and fear. During this day, we heard the sound of the
siren, which announces the departure of Russian missiles over the territory of Ukraine,
five or six times. The speaker through which I hear the sound of the siren is somewhere
not far from us. It is a sharp, strong, very unpleasant sound.”

…
“Every day, Russian missiles fly into peaceful Ukrainian cities, kill people and animals,
destroy houses, streets, cars, ecology. Just try to imagine what life is like – to know
every day that hundreds of missiles are sent to your land, and some of them reach the
target. We don’t know which city will be next, which house, kindergarten, hospital will
be next. Every day, hundreds of Ukrainians, civilians and brave soldiers die because of
the Russian war, which makes absolutely no sense. Hostage-taking among the civilian
population in the occupied territories, the use of terrible torture against them. Stealing of
children and adults and sending hundreds of thousands to people far, far away from
home. Destruction of the psyche of millions of people.”

…
“Perhaps you have sometimes heard common theses from Russian propaganda, which
claim that Ukraine is a country that does not really exist; it was artificially created, its
language is artificially invented, and its culture is also artificial. Of course, this is a lie,
like everything else that Russian propaganda says. In fact, Ukraine is an ancient
country with a long history, a beautiful singing language and an amazing culture. This
language is so resilient and strong that even the fact that the Russians banned it 134
times throughout history did not destroy it. (Just think, 134 bans in 300 years.)”
…
“One of Russia’s central news agencies published an article where they say that all
Ukrainians should die – simply because we are Ukrainians. It’s a very strange feeling to
continue living when you know how much they hate us. Also, I cannot get used to the
extreme cruelty of the Russians, who commit incredible atrocities on my land. I listen to
the intercepted calls of Russian soldiers to their wives. There that tell how they killed
thousands of people in a row – ‘cleared the cities,’ killing children, women, and their
wives rejoiced at these murders. He says: I killed children from 14 to 18 years, on the
spur of the moment, and she indifferently says: It’s OK, that’s the way it should be.”

…
“The day before yesterday, I buried my beloved Yura. I never thought that my husband,
a specialist in high-quality delicious cheeses, would die at the front from Russian
shelling. (as a combat medic). He was pulling a wounded soldier from the battlefield,
and the Russians killed him. A person who knew Yura throughout his military service
told me that he died instantly, most likely without feeling pain; that the shelling was so
dense that he and another killed comrade could not be taken from the battlefield for
three days, and then the guys from the ‘Azov’ battalion dug them out under fire,
because they were completely covered with earth.”

…
“This world is amazing. People fly into space, develop science, create incredible works
of art, take care of the environment, and try to interact for the sake of the survival of the
planet. And at the same time, in front of the eyes of the whole world, the hideous lying
despicable terrorist country Russia is destroying Ukrainian people, cities, and villages.
Now I am also the person who was destroyed by Russia. I pretend every day that I am
alive, but in reality a large part of me died on the battlefield with my beloved Yura.”

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a speech given on Ukraine Independence Day, “The world would have long been divided among the dreams of a few
dictatorships, if it was not for the American dream, which always left enough space for
people’s dreams. Major decisions are happening in unity of the whole world, including the
U.S. Ukraine restored unity between Europe and the U.S. and is now the
foundation of this alliance. Ukraine, which stands firm and can defend itself. This is the
Ukraine I had the honor to represent in the United States a week ago. Today, both the
U.S. and Europe agree: Ukraine has not yet won, but it certainly will not lose. Ukraine
has won its independence. Ukraine is not a victim; it is a fighter.”

I close with an open letter from Tanya: “Dear world. I hope you already fully understand
that a country that happily bombs peaceful cities of another country, annexes territories,
endlessly threatens and lies to everyone, should be punished to the maximum extent
possible. Russia is a bully country, an abuser country, a rapist country, and the world
should not turn a blind eye to this. Please help Ukraine to defeat this world evil. In this
terrible tale, good must win.”

For those who have access to the social media Instagram app, Tanya’s personal
accounts of the war can be found by searching kolada.t.