Ukraine War Diaries

In London, Oksana seeks out an antidote to the horrors discovered by Ukrainian forces during this week’s counter offensive. Returning from assignment in Ireland, military volunteer Seva makes a roadside pitstop in Poland to reflect on the Ukrainian army’s breakthrough. Meanwhile in Kyiv, for the first time since the Russian invasion, Ilyas can see a clear road-map to victory. BACKGROUND -   Oksana...

Close to the front line of his country’s cyber war with Russia, Ilyas discloses some of how Ukraines ‘IT Army’ are waging war against Russia. Meanwhile, in London, Oksana considers feelings of guilt in an on going war. Seva is away on Assignment. ADDITIONAL - *The Starlink’s service referred to by Ilyas in his diary is a satellite communications network provided to Ukraine by Elon Muck and Space X...

Recording while on assignment for the Ukrainian army, Seva shares conversations with soldiers close to the under threat Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. In Kyiv, Oksana prepares for another adventure and estranged from his family once again, Ilyas retreats into memories from his visit to Poland. BACKGROUND Seva, 40, is a company CEO and husband to Oksana. Before the war, he travelled across Europ...

In Poland combat stress bleeds into Ilyas’ peaceful surrounds, before he steels himself to say goodbye to his family and return to Ukraine. In Kyiv, Independence Day is marked for Seva not by traditional marching bands but a concerning phone call from his sister in Dnipro. This week, Oksana is away. BACKGROUND Ilyas is an IT specialist and married father who fled from Kyiv to Lviv shortly after th...

It’s almost six months to the day since Russia invaded Ukraine. Throughout that time, Seva, Oksana and Ilyas have been documenting the dramatic changes in their lives, brought about by war. In this special edition of Ukraine War Diaries we ask each to answer the same question – what does the future hold for you now? BACKGROUND Seva, 40, is a company CEO and husband to Oksana. Before the war, he tr...

After months of war, Oksana begins to experience vivid destructive thoughts. Recording while returning from the frontline, Seva shares important news about his father. Meanwhile, Ilyas is given clearance to make a special journey to Poland. BACKGROUND Oksana, 35, works in overseas education. She lives with her husband, Seva, in an apartment complex in central Kyiv and has remained in the Ukrainian...

Seva learns that his friend is quitting his job as a lawyer to become a full-time soldier. Returning by road from Belgium, Oksana dodges a series of air strikes. Meanwhile, Ilyas reveals how he and fellow Ukrainians are combating the Russian disinformation war. BACKGROUND Seva, 40, is a company CEO and husband to Oksana. Before the war, he travelled across Europe for business. Now, he makes regula...

Despite being thousands of kilometres from Kyiv, war with Russia continues for the refugees who Oksana meets in Brussels. In Kyiv, Ilyas sees the unfolding war through the eyes of his grandmother — a survivor of World War II. And in Poland, Ilyas’ wife Natalia goes to therapy. BACKGROUND Oksana, 34, works in overseas education. She lives with her husband, Seva, in an apartment complex in central K...

Against the backdrop of further Russian advances in the east, Seva makes a significant supply drop to the frontline. In Kyiv, Ilyas is starting to feel anxious about the winter to come and Oksana charts an emotional, wandering, first journey beyond the borders of wartime Ukraine - recording this week’s diary from Brussels. BACKGROUND Seva, 40, is a company CEO and husband to Oksana. Before the war...

Ilyas wrestles with issues of personal and national identity while at the same time trying to figure out ways to see his sons in Poland. Meanwhile, Oksana finds inspiration in the simple but significant actions of an 11-year old girl. *Seva is away. BACKGROUND   Ilyas is an IT specialist and married father who fled from Kyiv to Lviv shortly after the war started. Right now his wife Natalia, and tw...

Ilyas has a near miss when Russian missiles strike his neighbourhood. Seva is given permission to leave the country for the first time since the war started - an experience that leaves him with a new perspective. Meanwhile, Oksana measures the toll of unrelenting air raid sirens on her and her girlfriends.    BACKGROUND   Ilyas is an IT specialist and married father who fled from Kyiv to Lviv shor...

Against the backdrop of fierce fighting in the east and a growing feeling that international interest in Ukraine's plight is now waning, Seva experiences a surreal dining experience in a Kyiv now flip-flopping between conflict and a strange kind of normal. Meanwhile, Oksana hears from two friends who fled to Canada and Belgium respectively about the challenges of starting again in a new country. A...

When Russia invaded Ukraine on 24 February, it marked the beginning of a new calendar for Ilyas and many Ukrainians who now make a clear time distinction between the end of one life and the beginning of another. In Episode 34, Ilyas talks about meeting his wife Natalia, the triggers that bring old memories flooding back and the suffering that follows forced separation from your family - an experie...

Living side-by-side with their two boys in Kyiv almost four months ago, Ilyas and his wife Natalia have now been forced to live apart because of war. Today, Ilyas lives in a country gripped by conflict, where the Russian military can target his city with missiles at any minute. Across the border in Poland, his wife Natalia is facing challenges just as extreme despite the fact she and her family ar...

Against the backdrop of territorial gains by Russian forces, Oksana finds an escape in her favourite shop in Kyiv. Here, she enjoys an experience so far removed from the war that for an all too brief period she forgets the conflict. Ukraine War Diaries uses first-person audio, recorded on the ground in Ukraine, to give an intimate day-to-day perspective of life in a war zone. BACKGROUND - Oksana,...

Since Russia invaded Ukraine, Oksana has closely watched international reaction to the war. In this episode, she explains why the Queen is a celebrated figure in her homeland. Ukraine War Diaries uses first-person audio, recorded on the ground in Ukraine, to give an intimate day-to-day perspective of life in a war zone.   BACKGROUND - Oksana, 34, works in overseas education. She lives with her hus...

Recording while travelling to Eastern Ukraine, Seva reflects on the changing needs of frontline soldiers preparing for a protracted war.   Ukraine War Diaries uses first-person audio, recorded on the ground in Ukraine, to give an intimate day-to-day perspective of life in a war zone.   EP30 of Ukraine War Diaries was recorded using Whatsapp voice note.   BACKGROUND -   Seva, 40, is a company CEO a...

Ilyas tries to protect his personal life from the incessant din of war. Ukraine War Diaries uses first-person audio, recorded on the ground in Ukraine, to give an intimate day-to-day perspective of life in a war zone. BACKGROUND   Ilyas is an IT specialist and married father who fled from Kyiv to Lviv shortly after the war started. His wife and two young sons are now taking refuge in Poland. As of...

It's three months since Russian forces invaded Ukraine, changing the lives of the millions who live there. Oksana has a passion for travel and, as a former exchange student to the USA, works to help others study abroad. She reflects on missing her trips out of Ukraine. She has been sharing her insights over the last three months and shares what a typical weekend used to be like enjoying Kiev’s cul...

It’s three months since Russian forces invaded Ukraine, changing the lives of the millions who live there. Seva was working in renewable energy and regularly travelled across Ukraine and the EU. His work is now very different, as he and his colleagues have shifted their attention from renewables to how they can help the Ukrainian army. For almost three months, Seva has shared insights into life in...

It’s almost three months since Russian forces invaded Ukraine, changing in an instant millions of lives, and the life of Ilyas Verdiev, forever. A married father, Ilyas is now living apart from his wife and two young sons who fled to Poland. Today, Ilyas' life is marked by uncertainty and danger, in a Kyiv that’s been wrenched from its regular rhythm. For almost three months, Ilyas has shared insi...

Seva uses online crowd-funding - a tool so often used for business start-ups - to source vital military hardware for troops on the front line in Eastern Ukraine. Ukraine War Diaries uses first-person audio, recorded on the ground in Ukraine, to give an intimate day-to-day perspective of life in a war zone. BACKGROUND Seva, 40, is a company CEO. Before the war, he travelled across Europe for busine...

Oksana begins the painful process of trying to salvage what she can from her dream life in Hostomel, near Kyiv. Here, just weeks ago, Russian soldiers used residential properties to wage war against their Ukrainian counterparts. Ukraine War Diaries uses first-person audio, recorded on the ground in Ukraine, to give an intimate day-to-day perspective of life in a war zone. BACKGROUND Oksana, 34, wo...

Despite being surrounded by death and destruction, Ilyas must try and source toys for his two son's birthdays - a surreal experience that offers new life lessons. Ukraine War Diaries uses first-person audio, recorded on the ground in Ukraine, to give an intimate day-to-day perspective of life in a war zone. BACKGROUND Ilyas is an IT specialist and married father who fled from Kyiv to Lviv shortly...

Seva makes a resupply mission of medical aid to Eastern Ukraine and meets with troops awaiting immediate dispatch to the front line. But despite knowing some among their number may never return, the mood is unusually buoyant. Ukraine War Diaries uses first-person audio, recorded on the ground in Ukraine, to give an intimate day-to-day perspective of life in a war zone. Episode 22 was recorded usin...