Displaced people, children, whose lives have been shredded to pieces, soldiers, who sacrificed their entire existence in this bloody war. Is this all fair? Will we witness Ukraine become one of those destroyed countries like Afghanistan and Syria?
Unfortunately, the current situation in Ukraine does not show any signs of a clear and peaceful future, as more territories are occupied by Russian invaders. Sergei Shoigu, Russian Defense Minister, declared that Luhansk Oblast has been “liberated”. Ukrainians, on the other hand, find this term inaccurate and would rather label it “occupied”. However the opposing states call this a crisis, as it is indeed obvious that Russian forces invaded Lysychansk city as soon as they took control of Severodonetsk city.
Apart from territorial disputes, the country’s ecology is particularly threatened by the ongoing war. Zhytomyr, a north-western city of Ukraine, recently became the victim of a fighter jet attack. After its explosion, the forest area became subject to long-lasting fires and the region still “smells” of burnt material.
In order to examine how the war affects its victims in depth, we have conducted an interview with Kateryna Markitan, a Ukrainian citizen who informed us about their overall attitude towards what is happening with their hometown.
Question: As the result of war, you had to be relocated to a different country. How do you feel about the place that you are currently staying in?
After the beginning of the war, I moved to Germany. I have been here for four months already, and to be honest it's quite hard. I have been feeling isolated and often lonely, because all my life I was left in Ukraine, and didn't have many acquaintances here, moreover my German language skills are quite poor, so it made the process of integration even more difficult. Now I'm gradually getting better, making new friends and finding myself in this country.
Question: How do you feel about your own country?
I am looking forward to returning home. I am really concerned about what is going on in my homeland. Apart from general reasons for that (e.g. the fact that a huge number of people are suffering, my culture is being destroyed, etc.), I am constantly worried about my loved ones, since many of them have stayed in Ukraine and are in danger, even if the places where they are are relatively safe.
Question: Have you lost any of your family members or acquaintances due to war?
Luckily, none of my friends or family members are in the areas of active combat operations right now, and I haven't lost anyone. Only the husband of my godmother got injured while working in the military, but the doctors promised he will be fine.
This article was written in order to demonstrate to the world that the situation in Ukraine is still alarming and that people should not only stay educated about the topic, but also remind others of the vitality of this issue. Whatever affects our world should stay in the centre of attention until it is completely resolved.
By Aliyeva Gulchin
06/07/2022
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