Wednesday 15 Feb 4.30 pm.
I’m back in Donbas. Missed its landscapes. Happy to see all the soliders healthy and in a good mood.
Thursday 16 Feb 1.45pm.
I’ve been to the frontline very few times, but every time it’s hard to go back to the city. “I don’t want to go back”, my friend Tolik tells me. “Everything seems pointless back at home. My work, clients, deadlines.”
Friday 17 Feb 6.50pm.
See St Sophia Cathedral illuminated for the first time in almost four months. This gives me a moment’s respite.
Photography by Lesha Berezovsky.
Saturday 18 Feb 8.30am.
We wake up to air-raid sirens instead of the alarm clock. The closer it gets to 24 Feb the more frequent the Russian attacks.
Sunday 19 Feb 8.20pm.
It’s not just St Sophia – in general, there’s more light in the streets. I don’t know if the situation with the power cuts has improved or they’re just to cheer us up in sich dark days.
Monday 20 Feb, 3.40pm.
Visit my friend Nastya. She adopted a dog from the frontline in Donbas.
Tuesday 21 Feb, 9am.
While brushing my teeth I notice how many grey hair I’ve got since last year.
Thursday 23, Feb 4pm.
Get a call from the military offices. There is a high likelihood that I’ll have to join the army this year.
Friday 24, 11.57am.
Very “calm” morning, but flashbacks are popping up in my head all the time. Friends are posting their memories from 24 Feb 2022. I go to the post office later and remember how last year in May I was writing 24 Feb instead of 24 May. It will be February the whole time until our victory.
As featured in SLEEK 76 FREEDOM. Available in print and digital here.