interview with Alina Shevchenko
One year ago, on 24th February Russian troops began the invasion into Ukraine. As a reminder that the war is still raging on, we interviewed a young Ukrainian refugee Alina Shevchenko. Klárka met Alinka at the beginning of the invasion, when she arrived from a long journey from Kharkiv and was seeking shelter in the Czech Republic. They’ve been in contact ever since, and Alinka agreed to do this interview.
Klárka and Kuba talked to her in English and want to keep the full context of our interview, so this article will be coming out in English as well.
We are presenting you with a shorter version, the full version will be released in “weekend special“.
Klárka: How would you introduce yourself to our readers?
My name is Alina Shevchenko, I am a young filmmaker, activist and editor.
Kuba: Your birthday is on February 25th, the invasion into Ukraine began one day prior to that. How did you experience your birthday?
The full scale invasion started on February 24th, and I had the opportunity to leave the first day, because my ex boss had a car, and she said she could pick us up if we would be ready in one hour. We were riding on electric scooters from one part of the city to another, and there was a lot of traffic. On the first day everyone tried to escape the big cities, because a lot of people thought that in smaller cities it would be safer.
On February 25th we were on the road, and thankfully we always had some place to stay, so we didn’t have to be on the road all the time. Normally, you could go from Kharkiv to Lviv (Lvov in Czech – editor’s note), from west to the east of Ukraine in less than a day.
On February 25th we slept in Kramatorsk with a family that escaped with us. In the morning they bought a cake for me, we were drinking tea and eating the cake. Then we were again on the road.
Klárka: If I remember correctly you were traveling by train and car?
Yeah, by car to Kalush, which is a city in the west part of Ukraine. We spent one week there, but I still had this feeling that I still had to go, go, go somewhere. I didn’t know what was going to happen.
The first week when we came to Kalush I’ve been trying to help my friend, who was also trying to escape the city. I tried to navigate them, to get them a taxi or something, because it was really expensive and hard to get one.
I was constantly reading news, checking everything and then I understood that I needed to go abroad. We left on a train to Lviv from Kalush, and then on a bus to the border. At the time it was really hard to cross the border, because there were a lot of people and they were closing it. I had to wait for like eight hours outside with a lot of people around, and then we took a bus to Prague.
Klárka: How much did it affect you mentally?
I think a lot, I mean it affected everyone in Ukraine. People can say that they don’t feel that, but they will feel it after years. A lot of people now are trying to say they are fine, and when they will have time to reflect, they will reflect. I am feeling that it’s affecting me, it’s just a crazy life, like you’re living in a bubble.
When I came back from Kiev I was in shock, from everything that was happening around me. I rode on a train from Kiev to Berlin. I come to Berlin and there are people who are partying, who are having different lives. They have electricity all the time, they have opportunities, they have everything that can be needed. They have opportunities to
live, not to feel the fear that you can die any day.
People are trying to cover their emotions. If our brains didn’t do this, we couldn’t live this life normally. It hurts me all the time mentally, but I am trying to reflect upon it. But I think after the war everyone will need a therapist. But it won’t change it. I think it’s a mental breakdown for all life. You cannot just reflect on it and forget.
But I think after the war everyone will need a therapist.
Kuba: Why do some people come back to Ukraine, with the war still raging on?
There are a few options. For example, I’ve been shooting an interview with my friend in Kyiv, she was in Belgium when the war started on Erasmus+ programme. And it was her last year on that programme. She said that when she knew that the war started, she just came back to Kharkiv. Because she knew that she would be more useful there. And then she became a soldier in the armed forces and still is. I think that now there’s a lot of young people in Ukraine who have a strong political position. They see that they can do something and they will do this in any way. There was a phrase in the beginning of the war. That these young people, like me, are born to an independent country. For example, my parents and my grandmother were living in the Soviet Union. So they have this experience and they were not living all their lives in independence. And we have grown up in an independent country. And we cannot accept that someone can come and take this.
I think the second is… When the first part of the war becomes another part, for example, now it’s already one year and we know what it means for us, how it affects people’s lives, if you’re living there. People can see cafeterias and shops, anything, are working. And they think, why should I see it here if I can go there and live there? Yes, there is a bigger opportunity for something to happen, for example in Dnipro, the last missile attack, there were people living in a building. So there’s a chance, always. But some people, they feel like: Okay, if it will happen, it will happen. But it’s better, if I’ll be at home.
Also, some people, they have relatives and they are coming because men are not allowed to go, and some women living abroad that don’t have children, they can come back because of relatives. For example, I have friends and they don’t have friends here in Prague and they feel like being here, they are just in safety. They are not afraid of a light-off on Ukraine and other things, they just want to feel like themselves in their homeplace.
For me, when I was in Kyiv, I thought that I wanted to stay. And I wanted to stay.
But I understood that I need more stability to stay, because my love person, she is in Kyiv. And my friends are in Kyiv. I don’t have many friends here in Prague. I have some people with whom I can meet, but not my close friends. I’m frustrated by that. I’m here just in a safe place but not in my homeplace.
Honestly, when you are there and there is no massive attack, you feel like it’s fine. Like nothing is happening, people are living their lives. Okay, there is no light, but you can solve that somehow. People are buying generators and electric systems, they are trying to solve it. And that’s easier for them than living in Europe. I think that for people it is easier to build their life in Ukraine, those who have not had the experience to live abroad. But I think that a lot of people with children are staying abroad, but some are coming back.
Klárka: Theoretically speaking, what would you do if the war ended right now?
I would go to Kyiv and live there. It’s the thing I talked about in the beginning. When I was in Kyiv, I could just text my friend and meet her, I felt much better mentally. That’s also the thing, when you are in the situation, you’re feeling it different, you’re closer with people around. When I’m abroad, I can’t feel that situation, even though I’m trying to. So I’m preparing myself to return, probably earlier than the war ends.
But if I had to be honest, this is just stupid question, we know that war will not end out of nowhere, like Russia won’t just leave Ukraine. This war can continue for years, like in Israel.
But when the war ends, we will have hope. We will have a more stable situation, to become a NATO member and maybe someday an EU country. I know that it is a big deal, and it’s not going to happen just with the war ending.
Kuba:You are a movie director, what kind of projects are you working on? Does any of your work talk about the situation in Ukraine?
I do two types of movies. It’s advertising and documentaries.
The topic of my documentaries depends on which topics I’m currently into. For example now I’m trying to capture the moment, not follow the character. In the future, I’d like to do a story where I follow person story for build their life in Ukraine, those who have not had the experience to live abroad. But I think that a lot of people with children are staying abroad, but some are coming back.
It won’t be ordinary story about women, so sad, war, it’s more about positive things. The main goal is to show these stories and women not are victims, but as people who are
resisting and not giving up.
Kuba: Did you watch the presidential election? What do you think about newly elected president Petr Pavel? What do you think it means for Ukraine?
Yeah, I heard that after his election he said that he wants to go to Ukraine with the Slovak president soon. I heard a lot about him from the local people.
For me Babiš is a pro-russian guy, so I was thinking, if I could vote, I would vote for Petr Pavel, ‘cause he’s worked in NATO and for me, he’s a smart person who understands what the war is like. That you can not stop the war by taking on the president who doesn’t want to have a conversation. For me that the fact that this guy knows what he is doing means a lot. I know that in the Czech Republic the Parliament has more power than the president. But now I feel that when the Parliament will work with the president it will be more powerful.
you can not stop the war by taking on the president who doesn’t want to have a conversation.
Kuba: What would you say to people who are saying that they want peace? My guess is that everyone obviously wants peace, however some people are saying Ukraine should negotiate instead of fighting back.
It’s just people who didn’t experience the war. Like if you didn’t feel that of course you’ll just say “I want peace for the whole world” but it just doesn’t work like that. I hate the word pacifist. I hate it.
I know that there are two words – pacifist and antimilitarist. If you are pacifist, and someone comes to your house and this guy will beat you up and will kill your parents in front of you,
what will you do? Will you just sit and watch? Okay, you are a pacifist, then just sit and watch.
If you are an antimilitarist, yes you would like to have peace. But if someone were to come to your house, you will fight this person and kill them, to save your family. That is the difference for me.
Like if you’re saying that you want peace, fine. If these Russians came to your house, will you just sit and watch how they are raping or killing your sister, mother or child? Will you just watch?
If you just say “I want peace”, it’s shit. If you haven’t experienced it, you’re just telling shit.
So yeah, I don’t believe in saying just “I want peace”. I also want peace. Who doesn’t?
If these Russians came to your house, will you just sit and watch how they are raping or killing your sister, mother or child? Will you just watch?
Klárka: Do you have anything more you want to say to our readers?
Support Ukraine and Ukrainians by anything you can. And don’t say that there are good and bad Russians. Let’s not think about the Russians. Russians should not be important for anyone right now. Everything you should think about Russians right now are just these pictures of killed and raped people, that’s everything about Russia.
Just support Ukraine and be thankful for everything that you have right now. And just know that there are people who are 20 hours away from here, who are the same as people here but they just don’t have the opportunity to have a safe and comfortable life as you here.
Here are Alinka’s social media, if you want
to find out more about her and her career.
Instagram: @alinkastyles
YouTube: @AliShev