For three years now, Russia has been waging a brutal war against Ukraine. How is the youth coping with it? Activists from Teenergizer, Mariyan Shvets and Hanna Shevchenko, shared their experiences with the German publication Sueddeutsche Zeitung.
Mariyan joined Teenergizer in September 2024 after completing an internship. Over the past six months, he has conducted training sessions on “Mental Well-being” and “Sexual and Reproductive Health”, as well as created materials for the organizationās blog. Hanna completed her internship a year ago and has since taken on the role of a mentor for the current group of interns. She also recently participated in the Adolescent Girl Leadership town hall.
Read on to learn more about their experiences of living in Ukraine during the war.
MARIYAN SHVETS
15 years old, student
Brovary, near Kyiv
“Every morning, after breakfast and brushing my teeth, the first thing I do is check my apps to see if thereās an air raid alert and whether I can go to school. Almost every day, our lessons are interrupted by rockets or Shahed drones because we have to take cover in shelters.
Throughout the day, I keep an eye on the news on my phone, whether there are new occupied territories or reports of casualties.
Air raid alarms have become routine. I have an app that notifies me of alerts multiple times a day, but I barely pay attention to it, unless I hear an explosion. Then, I send a short message to my friends: āHow are you?ā Itās even shorter than āhow r u?ā If the explosion is loud, I also text my friends to ask if they heard it. That way, I can figure out how far the strike was. But we talk about other things too.
Sometimes Iām afraid of being killed by rockets. But living in constant fear is exhausting. To distract myself, I watch TikTok or YouTube. My phone helps me shift my thoughts. Itās the easiest way to escape reality. At the same time, my smartphone is the best tool for getting news about the war. The more I know, the less anxious I feel.
I use my phone for about eight hours a day on average. I text a lot because, due to the war, some of my friends have moved to other cities or countries. Without my phone, I wouldnāt be able to stay in touch with them.
My TikTok feed is full of memes, cooking videos, educational content, and, of course, dance trends. The war has changed my social media habits. Now, I see a lot of posts and videos about fundraising for the military and updates on the front line.
When it comes to music, I prefer pop and jazz, especially Berlioz. Iām a huge Eurovision fan, so right now, Iām listening to the Ukrainian national selections. I also watch a variety of moviesābut never horror.”
HANNA SHEVCHENKO
16 years old, student
Zaporizhzhia, Southeastern Ukraine
“Iām from Zaporizhzhia, a city close to the front line. We experience missile strikes constantly. I know this sounds terrible, but weāve gotten used to the sirens, explosions, and the ever-present threat of death. Since alarms go off multiple times a day, many people donāt take them seriously anymore.
I use my phone for about ten hours a day. Iām constantly checking alert notifications and the news.
Despite everything, I try to live a normal life. But the war reminds me of itself when I least expect it. Once, I was out with a friend when a drone attack started. We ran as fast as we could to a shelter, and the drones were already right above us. That was the scariest experience of my life.
My escape is books, music, and future plans. Thatās what keeps me going. On my phone, I watch movies, TV shows, or YouTube videos.
Without my smartphone, I wouldnāt even be able to study online. But most importantly, my phone allows me to stay in touch with my friends. If thereās a missile strike and I want to make sure theyāre okay, I just text them. We send each other messages, photos, videos, and, of course, call to talk about our fears and emotions. Having someone who understands you is priceless in these stressful and dangerous times.
Of course, I also listen to music on my phone. Iām a rock fan, especially indie rock, or at least, thatās what my Spotify Wrapped tells me. But Iām also a victim of pop culture: Chappell Roan and Charli XCX are my absolute favorites. Most of the time, I listen to international artistsāI love Queen, The Smiths, Wilt, and Arctic Monkeys. Ever since the series Arcane came out, any song from its soundtrack easily tugs at my heart.
When it comes to TV shows, I prefer ones with lots of episodes, like Gilmore Girls, Brooklyn 9-9, or Skam. I also love 2000s movies. The last one I watched was Mona Lisa Smile with Julia Roberts, and it was amazing! But Ukrainian cinema also deserves attentionāDiagnosis: Difference is simply a masterpiece.
On YouTube, I watch Ukrainian stand-up comedy. Itās growing at an incredible pace right now. If the war has brought anything good, itās that people have finally realized the value of our culture and the importance of developing it.”
This article is based on the Sueddeutsche Zeitung feature: āClubs haben in Kiew geƶffnet, aber da gehe ich nicht hin. Ich wĆ¼rde mich schlecht fĆ¼hlen, in einen Club zu gehen, wƤhrend andere kƤmpfen.āĀ Ā
