Ukraine War Diaries: Recent Episodes
Sky News
Oksana is determined not to leave her parents behind in Kiev. Ilyas dreams of being reunited with his wife and children who have fled to Poland. Seva is a CEO turned volunteer who's now supplying Ukrainian troops on the front line. War with Russia has changed their lives forever.
But what does the future hold?
Every Friday, Ukraine War Diaries follows first-hand experiences of life in a country at war.
From the producers of Sky News StoryCast.
Sky News’ Yalda Hakim and NBC’s Richard Engel have covered world events for years. Now, they team up for a new podcast to share their experiences from the frontline.
They debrief from global flashpoints and discuss their encounters with the biggest decision makers. They’ll also be joined by some of those key players to help make sense of world events.
From conflict in the Middle East, to the US election, and the war in Ukraine there is no better place for analysis and expertise.
New episodes from Richard and Yalda every Wednesday, starting October 9th.
In an extended episode to mark one year since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Ilyas, Oksana and Seva come together for the first time as a group, to share just some of what impacted them most in the last 12 months and to consider what the future holds?
OUR DIARISTS
Oksana, 35, works in overseas education. She lives with her husband, Seva, in an apartment complex in central Kyiv. Many of Oksana’s closest friends have left the country to begin new lives in Europe. Some may never return. She’s continues to try and make a life there.
Ilyas is an IT specialist and married father who fled from Kyiv to Lviv shortly after the war started. His wife Natalia, and two young sons are taking refuge in Poland. As of February 2023, Ilyas is back living in the family apartment in Kyiv.
Seva, 41, is a company CEO and husband to Oksana. Before the war, he travelled across Europe for business. Now, he makes regular supply drops of medical aid and rations to Ukrainian troops on the front line in Eastern Ukraine. He’s originally from a small village near Dnipro.
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.
From the producers of Sky News’ multi-award winning series – StoryCast.
Producer: Rob Mulhern
Editing: Paul Stanworth
Ilyas praises Ukraine’s leader after Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s UK visit and is grateful his wife and children, in Poland, don’t have to experience life in the middle of a warzone.
Oksana is happy to have electricity this week and is looking forward to Spring and a trip to Europe, where she’ll be reunited with her best friend after many months apart
And her husband Seva, a military volunteer, has returned from eastern Ukraine and reflects on how he has gotten used to the Russian missile bombardment, nearly a year on since the invasion.
OUR DIARISTS
Oksana, 35, works in overseas education. She lives with her husband, Seva, in an apartment complex in central Kyiv. Many of Oksana’s closest friends have left the country to begin new lives in Europe. Some may never return. She’s continues to try and make a life there.
Ilyas is an IT specialist and married father who fled from Kyiv to Lviv shortly after the war started. His wife Natalia, and two young sons are taking refuge in Poland. As of February 2023, Ilyas is back living in the family apartment in Kyiv.
Seva, 41, is a company CEO and husband to Oksana. Before the war, he travelled across Europe for business. Now, he makes regular supply drops of medical aid and rations to Ukrainian troops on the front line in Eastern Ukraine. He’s originally from a small village near Dnipro.
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.
EP67 diary entries were recorded using WhatsApp voice note.
From the producers of Sky News’ multi-award winning series – StoryCast.
Producers: Rob Mulhern and Annie Joyce
Editing: Paul Stanworth
Archive: Simon Windsor
Digital: David Chipakupaku
Military volunteer Seva learns about comrades who suffered horrific deaths when he returns to Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine.
In Kyiv, answering a displaced mother’s call for help leads to an inspiring phone conversation for Oksana.
And Ilyas undertakes an anxious journey hundreds of kilometres across Ukraine to buy a car for his family.
WARNING: Seva’s diary contains graphic references detailing death and torture.
OUR DIARISTS
Seva, 41, is a company CEO and husband to Oksana. Before the war, he travelled across Europe for business. Now, he makes regular supply drops of medical aid and rations to Ukrainian troops on the front line in Eastern Ukraine. He’s originally from a small village near Dnipro.
Oksana, 35, works in overseas education. She lives with her husband, Seva, in an apartment complex in central Kyiv. Many of Oksana’s closest friends have left the country to begin new lives in Europe. Some may never return. She’s continues to try and make a life there.
Ilyas is an IT specialist and married father who fled from Kyiv to Lviv shortly after the war started. His wife Natalia, and two young sons are taking refuge in Poland. As of February 2023, Ilyas is back living in the family apartment in Kyiv.
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.
EP66 diary entries were recorded using WhatsApp voice note.
From the producers of Sky News’ multi-award winning series – StoryCast.
Producer: Rob Mulhern
Editing: Paul Stanworth
Archive: Simon Windsor
Digital: David Chipakupaku
Now more than half-way through the winter, and more than 11 months since his family fled the country, Ilyas makes peace with the realisation that his eldest son is successfully assimilating into life in Poland, a re-location forced upon his family by the Russian invasion.
In Kyiv, conversations with his comrades on the front line forces Seva to yet again match the odds of mounting Russian pressure against the Ukrainian need for ever greater Western firepower.
Meanwhile, amid growing fears over a Russian Spring offensive - and the prospect of a major military push against Kyiv - Oksana redoubles her efforts to cherish special moments with her loved ones.
OUR DIARISTS
Ilyas is an IT specialist and married father who fled from Kyiv to Lviv shortly after the war started. His wife Natalia, and two young sons are taking refuge in Poland. As of February 2023, Ilyas is back living in the family apartment in Kyiv.
Seva, 41, is a company CEO and husband to Oksana. Before the war, he travelled across Europe for business. Now, he makes regular supply drops of medical aid and rations to Ukrainian troops on the front line in Eastern Ukraine. He’s originally from a small village near Dnipro.
Oksana, 35, works in overseas education. She lives with her husband, Seva, in an apartment complex in central Kyiv. Many of Oksana’s closest friends have left the country to begin new lives in Europe. Some may never return. She’s continues to try and make a life there.
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.
EP65 diary entries were recorded using WhatsApp voice note.
From the producers of Sky News’ multi-award winning series – StoryCast.
Producer: Rob Mulhern
Editing: Paul Stanworth
Archive: Simon Windsor
Digital: David Chipakupaku
Returning from assignment, Seva speaks with comrades in the eastern city of Bakhmut who are in desperate need of more advanced weaponry but happy to be alive.
In Kyiv, Ilyas turns his birthday into a military fundraising exercise.
And as Ukraine pleads to the West for more heavy weapons, the story of displacement continues as Oksana supports the arrival of more refugees into Kyiv.
OUR DIARISTS
Seva, 41, is a company CEO and husband to Oksana. Before the war, he travelled across Europe for business. Now, he makes regular supply drops of medical aid and rations to Ukrainian troops on the front line in Eastern Ukraine. He’s originally from a small village near Dnipro.
Oksana, 35, works in overseas education. She lives with her husband, Seva, in an apartment complex in central Kyiv. Many of Oksana’s closest friends have left the country to begin new lives in Europe. Some may never return. She’s continues to try and make a life there.
Ilyas is an IT specialist and married father who fled from Kyiv to Lviv shortly after the war started. His wife Natalia, and two young sons are taking refuge in Poland. As of January 2023, Ilyas is back living in the family apartment in Kyiv.
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.
EP64 diary entries were recorded using WhatsApp voice note.
From the producers of Sky News’ multi-award winning series – StoryCast.
Producer: Rob Mulhern
Editing: Paul Stanworth
Archive: Simon Windsor
Digital: David Chipakupaku
Seva has a difficult conversation with his sister after a Russian ballistic missile targets her Dnipro neighbourhood, killing 45 people and injuring dozens more.
In Kyiv, Oksana shares some of the stories that have penetrated the soul of the nation and reflects on how the attack is impacting the Ukrainian psyche.
Meanwhile, a conversation between Ilyas and his grandmother - who grew up in the aftermath of World War II - shifts his focus to those ageing citizens who are struggling to cope with war.
OUR DIARISTS
Oksana, 35, works in overseas education. She lives with her husband, Seva, in an apartment complex in central Kyiv. Many of Oksana’s closest friends have left the country to begin new lives in Europe. Some may never return. She’s continues to try and make a life there.
Seva, 41, is a company CEO and husband to Oksana. Before the war, he travelled across Europe for business. Now, he makes regular supply drops of medical aid and rations to Ukrainian troops on the front line in Eastern Ukraine. He’s originally from a small village near Dnipro.
Ilyas is an IT specialist and married father who fled from Kyiv to Lviv shortly after the war started. His wife Natalia, and two young sons are taking refuge in Poland. As of January 2023, Ilyas is back living in the family apartment in Kyiv.
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.
EP63 diary entries were recorded using WhatsApp voice note.
From the producers of Sky News’ multi-award winning series – StoryCast.
Producer: Rob Mulhern
Editing: Paul Stanworth
Digital Promotion: David Chipakupaku
Archive: Simon Windsor
As fighting rages in the east of the country and against the backdrop of mounting casualties in the mining town of Soledar, Oksana finds some unexpected respite at a Kyiv comedy night.
Meanwhile, in an basement gym, Ilyas finds a world removed from war, until the building is plunged into darkness.
OUR DIARISTS
Oksana, 35, works in overseas education. She lives with her husband, Seva, in an apartment complex in central Kyiv. Many of Oksana’s closest friends have left the country to begin new lives in Europe. Some may never return. She’s continues to try and make a life there.
Seva, 41, is a company CEO and husband to Oksana. Before the war, he travelled across Europe for business. Now, he makes regular supply drops of medical aid and rations to Ukrainian troops on the front line in Eastern Ukraine. He’s originally from a small village near Dnipro.
Ilyas is an IT specialist and married father who fled from Kyiv to Lviv shortly after the war started. His wife Natalia, and two young sons are taking refuge in Poland. As of December 2022, Ilyas is back living in the family apartment in Kyiv.
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.
EP62 diary entries were recorded using WhatsApp voice note.
From the producers of Sky News’ multi-award winning series – StoryCast.
Producer: Rob Mulhern
Editing: Paul Stanworth
Digital Promotion: David Chipakupaku
In Kyiv, making use of one of the city's bomb-proofed theatres, Oksana books a comedy night for military volunteer husband Seva.
In one of the capital’s restaurants, Seva begins the new year in the company of army comrades who gift him a knife in an act of brotherhood.
And after saying farewell to his family, Ilyas transports an old car from Poland ear-marked for frontline soldiers, before finding himself in the blast radius of a missile strike in Kyiv.
OUR DIARISTS
Oksana, 35, works in overseas education. She lives with her husband, Seva, in an apartment complex in central Kyiv. Many of Oksana’s closest friends have left the country to begin new lives in Europe. Some may never return. She’s continues to try and make a life there.
Seva, 41, is a company CEO and husband to Oksana. Before the war, he travelled across Europe for business. Now, he makes regular supply drops of medical aid and rations to Ukrainian troops on the front line in Eastern Ukraine. He’s originally from a small village near Dnipro.
Ilyas is an IT specialist and married father who fled from Kyiv to Lviv shortly after the war started. His wife Natalia, and two young sons are taking refuge in Poland. As of December 2022, Ilyas is back living in the family apartment in Kyiv.
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.
EP61 diary entries were recorded using WhatsApp voice note.
From the producers of Sky News’ multi-award winning series – StoryCast.
Producer: Rob Mulhern
Editing: Paul Stanworth
Digital Promotion: David Chipakupaku
Against the backdrop of a Kyiv still under siege, Oksana reflects on magical Christmas memories from childhood until a drone attack brings her back to reality with a jolt.
Meanwhile Seva shares the Christmas reality of comrades who continue to fight through the festive period.
And Ilyas, looks to the New Year with hope.
OUR DIARISTS
Ilyas is an IT specialist and married father who fled from Kyiv to Lviv shortly after the war started. His wife Natalia, and two young sons are taking refuge in Poland. As of December 2022, Ilyas is back living in the family apartment in Kyiv.
Seva, 40, is a company CEO and husband to Oksana. Before the war, he travelled across Europe for business. Now, he makes regular supply drops of medical aid and rations to Ukrainian troops on the front line in Eastern Ukraine. He’s originally from a small village near Dnipro.
Oksana, 35, works in overseas education. She lives with her husband, Seva, in an apartment complex in central Kyiv. Many of Oksana’s closest friends have left the country to begin new lives in Europe. Some may never return. She’s continues to try and make a life there. 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.
EP60 diary entries were recorded using WhatsApp voice note.
From the producers of Sky News’ multi-award winning series – StoryCast.
Producer: Rob Mulhern
Editor: Paul Stanworth
Digital Promotion: David Chipakupaku
Alone in his apartment in Kyiv, memories of Christmas past come flooding back to Ilyas. Can he find a way to escape the blitz-like conditions and be reunited with his wife and two sons in Poland?
OUR DIARISTS
Ilyas is an IT specialist and married father who fled from Kyiv to Lviv shortly after the war started. His wife Natalia, and two young sons are taking refuge in Poland. As of December 2022, Ilyas is back living in the family apartment in Kyiv.
Seva, 40, is a company CEO and husband to Oksana. Before the war, he travelled across Europe for business. Now, he makes regular supply drops of medical aid and rations to Ukrainian troops on the front line in Eastern Ukraine. He’s originally from a small village near Dnipro.
Oksana, 35, works in overseas education. She lives with her husband, Seva, in an apartment complex in central Kyiv. Many of Oksana’s closest friends have left the country to begin new lives in Europe. Some may never return. She’s continues to try and make a life there.
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. EP37 diary entries were recorded using WhatsApp voice note.
From the producers of Sky News’ multi-award winning series – StoryCast.
Producer: Rob Mulhern
Editor: Paul Stanworth
Digital Promotion: David Chipakupaku
Having left Kyiv on the day of a devastating Russian air attack in October, Oksana makes an emotional return.
Ilyas, illustrates how he - and other Ukrainians - are using their smart phones to stay one step ahead of enemy bombing raids.
And Seva marks a day of military celebration.
OUR DIARISTS
Ilyas is an IT specialist and married father who fled from Kyiv to Lviv shortly after the war started. His wife Natalia, and two young sons are taking refuge in Poland.
As of December 2022, Ilyas is back living in the family apartment in Kyiv.
Seva, 40, is a company CEO and husband to Oksana. Before the war, he travelled across Europe for business. Now, he makes regular supply drops of medical aid and rations to Ukrainian troops on the front line in Eastern Ukraine. He’s originally from a small village near Dnipro.
Oksana, 35, works in overseas education. She lives with her husband, Seva, in an apartment complex in central Kyiv.
Many of Oksana’s closest friends have left the country to begin new lives in Europe. Some may never return. She’s continues to try and make a life there.
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.
EP58 diary entries were recorded using WhatsApp voice note.
From the producers of Sky News’ multi-award winning series – StoryCast.
Producer: Rob Mulhern
Editor: Paul Stanworth
Digital Promotion: David Chipakupaku
Under siege in Kyiv, Ilyas endures his longest blackout.
Military volunteer, Seva, sources chainsaws for comrades in the east and in her mind, Oksana visits the rooftop of her apartment block to offer a god-like view of a Ukrainian capital under siege.
OUR DIARISTS
Ilyas is an IT specialist and married father who fled from Kyiv to Lviv shortly after the war started. His wife Natalia, and two young sons are taking refuge in Poland.
As of December 2022, Ilyas is back living in the family apartment in Kyiv.
Seva, 40, is a company CEO and husband to Oksana. Before the war, he travelled across Europe for business. Now, he makes regular supply drops of medical aid and rations to Ukrainian troops on the front line in Eastern Ukraine. He’s originally from a small village near Dnipro.
Oksana, 35, works in overseas education. She lives with her husband, Seva, in an apartment complex in central Kyiv.
Many of Oksana’s closest friends have left the country to begin new lives in Europe. Some may never return. She’s continues to try and make a life there.
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.
EP57 diary entries were recorded using WhatsApp voice note.
From the producers of Sky News’ multi-award winning series – StoryCast.
Producer: Rob Mulhern
Editor: Paul Stanworth
Digital Promotion: David Chipakupaku
In the dark of Kyiv, Ilyas fears for the under-fire Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, knowing how the 1986 Chernobyl disaster continues to impact lives in Ukraine to this day.
With new orders, military volunteer Seva, prepares to go on assignment in southern Ukraine, but not before an unexpected meeting with two soldiers involved in the recent liberation of Kherson.
And feeling helpless overseas, Oksana desperately tries to reach her family in the midst of yet another devastating missile attack.
OUR DIARISTS
Ilyas is an IT specialist and married father who fled from Kyiv to Lviv shortly after the war started. His wife Natalia, and two young sons are taking refuge in Poland.
As of November 2022, Ilyas is back living in the family apartment in Kyiv.
Seva, 40, is a company CEO and husband to Oksana. Before the war, he travelled across Europe for business. Now, he makes regular supply drops of medical aid and rations to Ukrainian troops on the front line in Eastern Ukraine. He’s originally from a small village near Dnipro.
Oksana, 35, works in overseas education. She lives with her husband, Seva, in an apartment complex in central Kyiv.
Many of Oksana’s closest friends have left the country to begin new lives in Europe. Some may never return. She’s continues to try and make a life there.
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.
EP56 diary entries were recorded using WhatsApp voice note.
From the producers of Sky News’ multi-award winning series – StoryCast.
Producer: Rob Mulhern
Editor: Paul Stanworth
Digital Promotion: David Chipakupaku
On the road in freezing temperatures, military volunteer Seva, reflects on Russia’s latest mass attack on the Ukrainian energy network.
And looking out across a darkened Kyiv - after a Russian missile knocks out the power in his apartment block - the ramifications of winter become very real for Ilyas, but so too enemy soldiers.
OUR DIARISTS
Ilyas is an IT specialist and married father who fled from Kyiv to Lviv shortly after the war started. His wife Natalia, and two young sons are taking refuge in Poland.
As of November 2022, Ilyas is back living in the family apartment in Kyiv and working, in part, for the Ukrainian government on various IT projects.
Seva, 40, is a company CEO and husband to Oksana. Before the war, he travelled across Europe for business. Now, he makes regular supply drops of medical aid and rations to Ukrainian troops on the front line in Eastern Ukraine. He’s originally from a small village near Dnipro.
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 capital since the war started.
Many of Oksana’s closest friends have left the country to begin new lives in Europe. Some may never return. She’s determined to stay.
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.
EP55 diary entries were recorded using WhatsApp voice note.
From the producers of Sky News’ multi-award winning series – StoryCast.
Producer: Rob Mulhern
Editor: Paul Stanworth
Digital Promotion: David Chipakupaku
In Kyiv, a sudden restaurant blackout forces Ilyas to consider the reality of winter in a city without power and increasingly isolated.
Injured by an anti-tank grenade, Seva accompanies a close friend to one of Kyiv’s trauma units.
Meanwhile, against the backdrop of conversations about a future evacuation, Oksana readies to return again to the Ukrainian capital.
OUR DIARISTS
Ilyas is an IT specialist and married father who fled from Kyiv to Lviv shortly after the war started. His wife Natalia, and two young sons are taking refuge in Poland.
As of November 2022, Ilyas is back living in the family apartment in Kyiv and working, in part, for the Ukrainian government on various IT projects.
Seva, 40, is a company CEO and husband to Oksana. Before the war, he travelled across Europe for business. Now, he makes regular supply drops of medical aid and rations to Ukrainian troops on the front line in Eastern Ukraine. He’s originally from a small village near Dnipro.
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 capital since the war started.
Many of Oksana’s closest friends have left the country to begin new lives in Europe. Some may never return. She’s determined to stay.
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.
EP54 diary entries were recorded using WhatsApp voice note.
From the producers of Sky News’ multi-award winning series – StoryCast.
Producer: Rob Mulhern
Editor: Paul Stanworth
Digital Promotion: David Chipakupaku
From his apartment in Kyiv, Ilyas watches and listens as Ukrainian air defence armoury targets yet another onslaught of Russian missiles.
Meanwhile, military volunteer, Seva, sets off on a lone assignment to the frontlines in Donetsk where his thinking is challenged by an embattled tank battalion.
OUR DIARISTS
Ilyas is an IT specialist and married father who fled from Kyiv to Lviv shortly after the war started. His wife Natalia, and two young sons are taking refuge in Poland.
As of November 2022, Ilyas is back living in the family apartment in Kyiv and working, in part, for the Ukrainian government on various IT projects.
Seva, 40, is a company CEO and husband to Oksana. Before the war, he travelled across Europe for business. Now, he makes regular supply drops of medical aid and rations to Ukrainian troops on the front line in Eastern Ukraine. He’s originally from a small village near Dnipro.
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 capital since the war started.
Many of Oksana’s closest friends have left the country to begin new lives in Europe. Some may never return. She’s determined to stay.
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.
EP53 diary entries were recorded using WhatsApp voice note.
From the producers of Sky News’ multi-award winning series – StoryCast.
Producer: Rob Mulhern
Editor: Paul Stanworth
Digital Promotion: David Chipakupaku
From the window of his apartment in Kyiv, Ilyas witnesses a drone strike that results in the death of a pregnant woman and her husband.
On military assignment in western Ukraine, Seva’s thoughts turn to his father who is about to undergo major surgery in a hospital within the compass of continued Russian strikes.
Meanwhile Oksana readies to return to a Kyiv that looks set to be plunged further into darkness.
OUR DIARISTS
Ilyas is an IT specialist and married father who fled from Kyiv to Lviv shortly after the war started. His wife Natalia, and two young sons are taking refuge in Poland.
As of October 2022, Ilyas is back living in the family apartment in Kyiv and working, in part, for the Ukrainian government on various IT projects.
Seva, 40, is a company CEO and husband to Oksana. Before the war, he travelled across Europe for business. Now, he makes regular supply drops of medical aid and rations to Ukrainian troops on the front line in Eastern Ukraine. He’s originally from a small village near Dnipro.
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 capital since the war started.
Many of Oksana’s closest friends have left the country to begin new lives in Europe. Some may never return. She’s determined to stay.
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.
EP52 diary entries were recorded using WhatsApp voice note.
From the producers of Sky News’ multi-award winning series – StoryCast.
Producer: Rob Mulhern
Editor: Paul Stanworth
Digital Promotion: David Chipakupaku
After escaping Russia’s single biggest one-day attack on Kyiv, Oksana catches her breath in Madrid, where she tries to second guess what Vladimir Putin’s forces are going to do next?
Meanwhile, recording in the basement of his Kyiv apartment block during an air-raid, Ilyas outlines what he - and many Ukrainians - are being told in respect of a nuclear attack.
OUR DIARISTS
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 capital since the war started.
Many of Oksana’s closest friends have left the country to begin new lives in Europe. Some may never return. She’s determined to stay.
Ilyas is an IT specialist and married father who fled from Kyiv to Lviv shortly after the war started. His wife Natalia, and two young sons are taking refuge in Poland.
As of October 2022, Ilyas is back living in the family apartment in Kyiv and working, in part, for the Ukrainian government on various IT projects.
Seva, 40, is a company CEO and husband to Oksana. Before the war, he travelled across Europe for business. Now, he makes regular supply drops of medical aid and rations to Ukrainian troops on the front line in Eastern Ukraine. He’s originally from a small village near Dnipro.
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.
EP51 diary entries were recorded using WhatsApp voice note.
From the producers of Sky News’ multi-award winning series – StoryCast.
Producer: Rob Mulhern
Editor: Paul Stanworth
Digital Promotion: David Chipakupaku
In Kiev, Ilyas watches in horror as Russian rockets rain down on his city— the deadliest attack on the Ukrainian capital since the beginning of the war.
Having left for Poland just hours before, Oksana escapes the attack, only to find her exit route to Warsaw targeted by more enemy missiles.
Helpless, and on military assignment in Ireland, Seva takes stock of what’s to come.
And with the dust now settling somewhat in Kyiv, Ilyas returns to record a final reflection on one of the most significant week’s in the war.
OUR DIARISTS
Ilyas is an IT specialist and married father who fled from Kyiv to Lviv shortly after the war started. His wife Natalia, and two young sons are taking refuge in Poland.
As of October 2022, Ilyas is back living in the family apartment in Kyiv and working, in part, for the Ukrainian government on various IT projects.
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 capital since the war started.
Many of Oksana’s closest friends have left the country to begin new lives in Europe. Some may never return. She’s determined to stay.
Seva, 40, is a company CEO and husband to Oksana. Before the war, he travelled across Europe for business. Now, he makes regular supply drops of medical aid and rations to Ukrainian troops on the front line in Eastern Ukraine. He’s originally from a small village near Dnipro.
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.
EP50 diary entries were recorded using WhatsApp voice note.
From the producers of Sky News’ multi-award winning series – StoryCast.
Producer: Rob Mulhern
Editor: Paul Stanworth
Digital Promotion: David Chipakupaku
This update was recorded in the hours after fresh strikes targeting ‘critical infrastructure’ in Kyiv and across Ukraine.
Ilyas Verdiev lives in the city and recorded what he seen from his apartment before having to return to a basement shelter for the first time since June.
President Putin has said the Ukraine-wide strikes were in retaliation for the weekend attack on a bridge that linked Russia to the annexed Crimea.
Moscow said it launched missiles against energy, military and communications infrastructure.
Recording on assignment, military volunteer Seva weighs the cost of fallen colleagues against Ukraine’s greater ambition to liberate the entire country.
In Kyiv, Oksana expresses her horror at billionaire Elon Musk’s controversial peace plan - which involved getting Twitter followers to vote on possible outcomes — and at a world failing to grasp the threat of an apocalyptic conflict.
Meanwhile, Ilyas wonders about a spike in marriage nationally - encouraged in part by the continued nuclear threat.
BACKGROUND -
*This week billionaire Elon Musk tweeted a poll on Twitter headlined ‘Ukraine-Russia Peace’ which asked his followers to vote yes or no to the following proposals
- Redo elections of annexed regions under UN supervision. Russia leaves if that is will of the people.
- Crimea formally part of Russia, as it has been since 1783.
- Water supply to Crimea assured.
- Ukraine remains neutral.
TIMECODES -
0.00 - Seva
3.10 - Oksana
7.00 - Ilyas
OUR DIARISTS
Seva, 40, is a company CEO and husband to Oksana. Before the war, he travelled across Europe for business. Now, he makes regular supply drops of medical aid and rations to Ukrainian troops on the front line in Eastern Ukraine. He’s originally from a small village near Dnipro.
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 capital since the war started.
Many of Oksana’s closest friends have left the country to begin new lives in Europe. Some may never return. She’s determined to stay.
Ilyas is an IT specialist and married father who fled from Kyiv to Lviv shortly after the war started. His wife Natalia, and two young sons are taking refuge in Poland.
As of October 2022, Ilyas is back living in the family apartment in Kyiv and working, in part, for the Ukrainian government on various IT projects.
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.
EP49 diary entries were recorded using WhatsApp voice note.
From the producers of Sky News’ multi-award winning series – StoryCast.
Producer: Rob Mulhern
Editor: Paul Stanworth
Digital Promotion: David Chipakupaku
In Kyiv, spooked by the threat of nuclear attack, Oksana’s close friend moves her family to western Ukraine.
Meanwhile, Ilyas finds hope in what he sees as desperate Russian measures.
And Seva is left astonished by conversations with fellow military personnel on the frontline.
TIMECODES -
0.00 - Oksana
4.45 - Ilyas
8.07 - Seva
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 capital since the war started.
Many of Oksana’s closest friends have left the country to begin new lives in Europe. Some may never return. She’s determined to stay.
Ilyas is an IT specialist and married father who fled from Kyiv to Lviv shortly after the war started. His wife Natalia, and two young sons are taking refuge in Poland.
As of September 2022, Ilyas is back living in the family apartment in Kyiv and working, in part, for the Ukrainian government on various IT projects.
Seva, 40, is a company CEO and husband to Oksana. Before the war, he travelled across Europe for business. Now, he makes regular supply drops of medical aid and rations to Ukrainian troops on the front line in Eastern Ukraine. He’s originally from a small village near Dnipro.
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.
EP26 diary entries were recorded using WhatsApp voice note.
From the producers of Sky News’ multi-award winning series – StoryCast.
Producer: Rob Mulhern
Editor: Paul Stanworth
Digital Promotion: David Chipakupaku
In Kyiv, spooked by the threat of nuclear attack, Oksana’s close friend moves her family to western Ukraine.
Meanwhile, Ilyas finds hope in what he sees as desperate Russian measures.
And Seva is left astonished by conversations with fellow military personnel on the frontlines.
TIMECODES -
0.00 - Oksana
4.45 - Ilyas
8.07 - Seva
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 capital since the war started.
Many of Oksana’s closest friends have left the country to begin new lives in Europe. Some may never return. She’s determined to stay.
Ilyas is an IT specialist and married father who fled from Kyiv to Lviv shortly after the war started. His wife Natalia, and two young sons are taking refuge in Poland.
As of September 2022, Ilyas is back living in the family apartment in Kyiv and working, in part, for the Ukrainian government on various IT projects.
Seva, 40, is a company CEO and husband to Oksana. Before the war, he travelled across Europe for business. Now, he makes regular supply drops of medical aid and rations to Ukrainian troops on the front line in Eastern Ukraine. He’s originally from a small village near Dnipro.
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.
EP48 diary entries were recorded using WhatsApp voice note.
From the producers of Sky News’ multi-award winning series – StoryCast.
Producer: Rob Mulhern
Editor: Paul Stanworth
Digital Promotion: David Chipakupaku
Military volunteer, Seva, greets news of the Russian mobilisation decree to call up of 300,000 army reservists with glee.
Thousands of miles from home Oksana finds an unexpected show of solidarity.
And in Kyiv, Ilyas reflects on the recent grim discovery of mass graveyards in liberated lands close to Kharkiv.
BACKGROUND
Seva, 40, is a company CEO and husband to Oksana. Before the war, he travelled across Europe for business. Now, he makes regular supply drops of medical aid and rations to Ukrainian troops on the front line in Eastern Ukraine. He’s originally from a small village near Dnipro.
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 capital since the war started.
Many of Oksana’s closest friends have left the country to begin new lives in Europe. Some may never return. She’s determined to stay.
Ilyas is an IT specialist and married father who fled from Kyiv to Lviv shortly after the war started. His wife Natalia, and two young sons are taking refuge in Poland.
As of September 2022, Ilyas is back living in the family apartment in Kyiv and working, in part, for the Ukrainian government on various IT projects.
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.
EP47 diary entries were recorded using WhatsApp voice note.
From the producers of Sky News’ multi-award winning series – StoryCast.
Producer: Rob Mulhern
Editor: Paul Stanworth
Digital Promotion: David Chipakupaku
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, 35, works in overseas education. She lives with her husband, Seva, in an apartment complex in central Kyiv and has remained in the Ukrainian capital since the war started.
Many of Oksana’s closest friends have left the country to begin new lives in Europe. Some may never return. She’s determined to stay.
Seva, 40, is a company CEO and husband to Oksana. Before the war, he travelled across Europe for business. Now, he makes regular supply drops of medical aid and rations to Ukrainian troops on the front line in Eastern Ukraine. He’s originally from a small village near Dnipro.
Ilyas is an IT specialist and married father who fled from Kyiv to Lviv shortly after the war started. His wife Natalia, and two young sons are taking refuge in Poland.
As of September 2022, Ilyas is back living in the family apartment in Kyiv and working, in part, for the Ukrainian government on various IT projects.
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.
EP46 diary entries were recorded using WhatsApp voice note.
From the producers of Sky News’ multi-award winning series – StoryCast.
Producer: Rob Mulhern
Editor: Paul Stanworth
Digital Promotion: David Chipakupaku
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 to maintain and support the internet.
BACKGROUND -
Ilyas is an IT specialist and married father who fled from Kyiv to Lviv shortly after the war started. His wife Natalia, and two young sons are taking refuge in Poland.
As of August 2022, Ilyas is back living in the family apartment in Kyiv and working, in part, for the Ukrainian government on various projects.
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 capital since the war started.
Many of Oksana’s closest friends have left the country to begin new lives in Europe. Some may never return. She’s determined to stay.
Seva is on away.
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.
EP45 diary entries were recorded using WhatsApp voice note.
From the producers of Sky News’ multi-award winning series – StoryCast.
Producer: Rob Mulhern
Editing: Dave Terris
Digital Promotion: David Chipakupaku
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 Europe for business. Now, he makes regular supply drops of medical aid and rations to Ukrainian troops on the front line in Eastern Ukraine. He’s originally from a small village near Dnipro.
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 capital since the war started.
Many of Oksana’s closest friends have left the country to begin new lives in Europe. Some may never return. She’s determined to stay.
Ilyas is an IT specialist and married father who fled from Kyiv to Lviv shortly after the war started. His wife Natalia, and two young sons are taking refuge in Poland.
As of September 2022, Ilyas is back living in the family apartment in Kyiv and working, in part, for the Ukrainian government on various projects.
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.
EP44 diary entries were recorded using WhatsApp voice note.
From the producers of Sky News’ multi-award winning series – StoryCast.
Producer Rob Mulhern
Editing Dave Terris
Digital Promotion David Chipakupaku
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 the war started. His wife Natalia, and two young sons are taking refuge in Poland.
As of August 2022, Ilyas is back living in the family apartment in Kyiv and working, in part, for the Ukrainian government on various projects.
Seva, 40, is a company CEO and husband to Oksana. Before the war, he travelled across Europe for business. Now, he makes regular supply drops of medical aid and rations to Ukrainian troops on the front line in Eastern Ukraine. He’s originally from a small village near Dnipro.
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 capital since the war started.
Many of Oksana’s closest friends have left the country to begin new lives in Europe. Some may never return. She’s determined to stay.
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.
EP43 diary entries were recorded using WhatsApp voice note.
From the producers of Sky News’ multi-award winning series – StoryCast.
Producer: Rob Mulhern
Editing: Paul Stanworth
Digital Promotion: David Chipakupaku
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 travelled across Europe for business. Now, he makes regular supply drops of medical aid and rations to Ukrainian troops on the front line in Eastern Ukraine. He’s originally from a small village near Dnipro.
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 capital since the war started.
Many of Oksana’s closest friends have left the country to begin new lives in Europe. Some may never return. She’s determined to stay.
Ilyas is an IT specialist and married father who fled from Kyiv to Lviv shortly after the war started. His wife Natalia, and two young sons are taking refuge in Poland.
As of August 2022, Ilyas is back living in the family apartment in Kyiv and working, in part, for the Ukrainian government on various projects.
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.
EP42 diary entries were recorded using WhatsApp voice note.
From the producers of Sky News’ multi-award winning series – StoryCast.
Producer Rob Mulhern
Editing Paul Stanworth
Digital Promotion David Chipakupaku
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 capital since the war started.
Many of Oksana’s closest friends have left the country to begin new lives in Europe. Some may never return. She’s determined to stay.
Seva, 40, is a company CEO and husband to Oksana. Before the war, he travelled across Europe for business. Now, he makes regular supply drops of medical aid and rations to Ukrainian troops on the front line in Eastern Ukraine. He’s originally from a small village near Dnipro.
Ilyas is an IT specialist and married father who fled from Kyiv to Lviv shortly after the war started. His wife Natalia, and two young sons are taking refuge in Poland.
As of August 2022, Ilyas is back living in the family apartment in Kyiv and working, in part, for the Ukrainian government on various projects.
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.
EP41 diary entries were recorded using WhatsApp voice note.
From the producers of Sky News’ multi-award winning series – StoryCast.
Producer Rob Mulhern
Editing Paul Stanworth
Digital Promotion David Chipakupaku
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 regular supply drops of medical aid and rations to Ukrainian troops on the front line in Eastern Ukraine. He’s originally from a small village near Dnipro.
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 capital since the war started.
Many of Oksana’s closest friends have left the country to begin new lives in Europe. Some may never return. She’s determined to stay.
Ilyas is an IT specialist and married father who fled from Kyiv to Lviv shortly after the war started. His wife Natalia, and two young sons are taking refuge in Poland.
As of August 2022, Ilyas is back living in the family apartment in Kyiv and working, in part, for the Ukrainian government on various projects.
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.
Week 18 diary entries were recorded using WhatsApp voice note.
From the producers of Sky News’ multi-award winning series – StoryCast.
Producer Rob Mulhern
Editing Paul Stanworth
Digital Promotion David Chipakupaku
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 Kyiv and has remained in the Ukrainian capital since the war started.
Many of Oksana’s closest friends have left the country to begin new lives in Europe. Some may never return. She’s determined to stay.
Ilyas is an IT specialist and married father who fled from Kyiv to Lviv shortly after the war started. His wife Natalia, and two young sons are taking refuge in Poland.
As of July 2022, Ilyas is back living in the family apartment in Kyiv and working, in part, for the Ukrainian government on various projects.
Natalia is the wife of Ilyas. She fled to Poland with her two young sons then aged 4 and 1, at the beginning of the war. Her mother followed soon after.
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.
Week 17 diary entries were recorded using WhatsApp voice note.
From the producers of Sky News’ multi-award winning series – StoryCast.
Producer Rob Mulhern
Editing Paul Stanworth
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, he travelled across Europe for business. Now, he makes regular supply drops of medical aid and rations to Ukrainian troops on the front line in Eastern Ukraine. He’s originally from a small village near Dnipro.
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 two young sons are taking refuge in Poland.
As of July 2022, Ilyas is back living in the family apartment in Kyiv and working, in part, for the Ukrainian government on various projects.
Oksana, 34, works in overseas education. She lives with her husband, Seva, in an apartment complex in central Kyiv and has remained in the Ukrainian capital since the war started.
Many of Oksana’s closest friends have left the country to begin new lives in Europe. Some may never return. She’s determined to stay.
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.
EP16 diary entries were recorded using WhatsApp voice note.
From the producers of Sky News’ multi-award winning series – StoryCast.
Series producer: Robert Mulhern
Editing: Paul Stanworth
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 two young sons are taking refuge in Poland.
As of July 2022, Ilyas is back living in the family apartment in Kyiv and working, in part, for the Ukrainian government on various projects.
Oksana, 34, works in overseas education. She lives with her husband, Seva, in an apartment complex in central Kyiv and has remained in the Ukrainian capital since the war started.
Many of Oksana’s closest friends have left the country to begin new lives in Europe. Some may never return. She’s determined to stay.
Seva, 40, is a company CEO and husband to Oksana. Before the war, he travelled across Europe for business. Now, he makes regular supply drops of medical aid and rations to Ukrainian troops on the front line in Eastern Ukraine. He’s originally from a small village near Dnipro.
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.
Week 15 diary entries were recorded using WhatsApp voice note.
From the producers of Sky News’ multi-award winning series – StoryCast.
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 shortly after the war started. Right now his wife Natalia, and two young sons are taking refuge in Poland.
As of July 2022, Ilyas is back living in the family apartment in Kyiv and working, in part, for the Ukrainian government on various projects.
Seva, 40, is a company CEO and husband to Oksana. Before the war, he travelled across Europe for business. Now, he makes regular supply drops of medical aid and rations to Ukrainian troops on the front line in Eastern Ukraine. He’s originally from a small village near Dnipro.
Oksana, 34, works in overseas education. She lives with her husband, Seva, in an apartment complex in central Kyiv and has remained in the Ukrainian capital since the war started.
Many of Oksana’s closest friends have left the country to begin new lives in Europe. Some may never return. She’s determined to stay.
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.
Week 14 diary entries were recorded using WhatsApp voice note.
From the producers of Sky News’ multi-award winning series – StoryCast.
Producer Rob Mulhern
Editing Paul Stanworth
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.
And an unexpected parcel from Poland stirs up old feelings for Ilyas.
BACKGROUND-
Oksana, 34, works in overseas education. She lives with her husband, Seva, in an apartment complex in central Kyiv and has remained in the Ukrainian capital since the war started.
Many of Oksana’s closest friends have left the country to begin new lives in Europe. Some may never return. She’s determined to stay.
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 two young sons are taking refuge in Poland.
As of June 2022, Ilyas is back living in the family apartment in Kyiv and working, in part, for the Ukrainian government on various projects.
Seva, 40, is a company CEO and husband to Oksana. Before the war, he travelled across Europe for business. Now, he makes regular supply drops of medical aid and rations to Ukrainian troops on the front line in Eastern Ukraine. He’s originally from a small village near Dnipro.
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.
Week 13 diary entries were recorded using WhatsApp voice note.
From the producers of Sky News’ multi-award winning series – StoryCast.
CREDITS-
Series Producer - Rob Mulhern
Production Support/Editing - Paul Stanworth
Ukraine War Diaries returns every Friday from July 8.
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 experience now being endured by millions of Ukrainians.
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. Right now his wife and two young sons are taking refuge in Poland.
As of June 2022, Ilyas is back living in the family apartment in Kyiv and working, in part, for the Ukrainian government on specialist projects.
EP34 of Ukraine War Diaries was recorded using Whatsapp voice note.
From the producers of Sky News’ multi-award winning series – StoryCast.
CREDITS -
Series Producer - Rob Mulhern
Production Support/Editing - Paul Stanworth
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 are now living in a country at peace.
In Episode 33 of Ukraine War Diaries, Natalia offers her perspective on war, dislocation and separation.
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. Right now his wife and two young sons are taking refuge in Poland.
As of May 2022, Ilyas is back living in the family apartment in Kyiv and working, in part, for the Ukrainian government on specialist projects.
EP33 of Ukraine War Diaries was recorded using Whatsapp voice note.
From the producers of Sky News’ multi-award winning series – StoryCast.
CREDITS -
Series Producer - Rob Mulhern
Production Support/Editing - Paul Stanworth
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, 34, works in overseas education. She lives with her husband, Seva, in an apartment complex in central Kyiv and has remained in the Ukrainian capital since the war started.
Many of Oksana’s closest friends have left the country to begin new lives in Europe. Some may never return. She’s determined to stay.
From the producers of Sky News’ multi-award winning series – StoryCast.
CREDITS
Series Producer - Rob Mulhern
Production Support/Editing - Paul Stanworth
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 husband, Seva, in an apartment complex in central Kyiv and has remained in the Ukrainian capital since the war started.
Many of Oksana’s closest friends have left the country to begin new lives in Europe. Some may never return. She’s determined to stay.
EP31 of Ukraine War Diaries was recorded using Whatsapp voice note.
From the producers of Sky News’ multi-award winning series – StoryCast.
CREDITS -
Series Producer - Rob Mulhern
Production Support/Editing - Paul Stanworth
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 and husband to Oksana. Before the war, he travelled across Europe for business. Now, he makes regular supply drops of medical aid and rations to Ukrainian troops in Eastern Ukraine. He’s originally from a small village near Dnipro.
From the producers of Sky News’ multi-award winning series – StoryCast.
CREDITS -
Series Producer - Rob Mulhern
Production Support/Editing - Paul Stanworth
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 May 2022, Ilyas is back living in the family apartment in Kyiv and working, in part, for the Ukrainian government on specialist projects.
EP26 of Ukraine War Diaries was recorded using WhatsApp voice notes.
From the producers of Sky News’ multi-award winning series – StoryCast.
CREDITS
Series Producer - Rob Mulhern
Production Support/Editing - Paul Stanworth
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 cultural scene. While she misses the friends who are no longer in Ukraine, she’s finding new ways to connect with people.
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 28 of Ukraine War Diaries was recorded using WhatsApp voice notes.
From the producers of Sky News' multi-award winning series - StoryCast.
Producer - Anne Marie Bullock
Series Producer - Rob Mulhern
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 a war zone. So what did a typical day in his life, and life in Ukraine, look like before the war? And how is he settling into a new routine?
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.
EP27 of Ukraine War Diaries was recorded using WhatsApp voice note.
From the producers of Sky News’ multi-award winning series – StoryCast.
Producer - Anne Marie Bullock
Series Producer - Rob Mulhern
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 insights into life in a war zone. But what did a typical day in his life, and life in Ukraine, look like before the 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.
EP26 of Ukraine War Diaries was recorded using Wats App voice note.
From the producers of Sky News’ multi-award winning series – StoryCast.
CREDITS
Series Producer - Rob Mulhern
Production Support/Editing - Paul Stanworth
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 business. Now, he makes regular supply drops of medical aid and rations to Ukrainian troops on the front line in Eastern Ukraine. He’s originally from a small village near Dnipro.
EP25 of Ukraine War Diaries was recorded using WhatsApp voice notes.
From the producers of Sky News’ multi-award winning series – StoryCast.
CREDITS
Series Producer - Rob Mulhern
Production Support/Editing - Paul Stanworth
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, works in overseas education. She lives with her husband, Seva, in an apartment complex in central Kyiv and has remained in the Ukrainian capital since the war started.
Many of Oksana’s closest friends have left the country to begin new lives in Europe. Some may never return. She’s determined to stay.
Episode 24 was recorded using WhatsApp voice notes.
From the producers of Sky News’ multi-award winning series – StoryCast.
CREDITS
Series Producer - Rob Mulhern
Production Support - Paul Stanworth
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 after the war started. Right now his wife and two young sons are taking refuge in Poland.
As of May 2022, Ilyas is back living in the family apartment in Kyiv and working, in part, for the Ukrainian government on specialist projects.
EP23 was recorded using WhatsApp voice notes
From the producers of Sky News’ multi-award winning series – StoryCast.
CREDITS
Series Producer - Rob Mulhern
Production Support - Paul Stanworth
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 using WhatsApp Voice Notes.
From the producers of Sky News’ multi-award winning series – StoryCast.
Series Producer - Rob Mulhern
Production support - Paul Stanworth
The simple joy of gathering for a birthday is something Oksana will never take for granted again as war continues to ravage her homeland, changing the very fabric of life.
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.
From the producers of Sky News’ multi-award winning series – StoryCast.
Series Producer - Rob Mulhern
Production support - Paul Stanworth
For the first time since fleeing Kyiv for Poland, Ilyas is reunited with his with his wife and children in Lviv. But a missile attack on the city serves as a reminder as to why they need to live apart.
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.
EP20 was recorded using WhatsApp voice notes
From the producers of Sky News’ multi-award winning series – StoryCast.
Series Producer - Rob Mulhern
Against the backdrop of the continuing bombardment of Mariupol, Oksana receives an invitation to return to her nail bar near Kyiv. This, and the realisation that dear friends may never again return to Ukraine leaves her feeling deeply troubled.
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.
EP19 was recorded using WhatsApp voice notes
From the producers of Sky News’ multi-award winning series – StoryCast.
Series Producer - Rob Mulhern
Seva gets ready to return to his home village near Dnipro for the first time since the war started.
Here - at considerable risk - his ageing parents have been aiding the war effort. But recent events have led them all to reflect on the life of their Russian born grandmother.
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.
EP18 was recorded using WhatsApp voice notes.
From the producers of Sky News’ multi-award winning series – StoryCast.
Series Producer - Rob Mulhern
Every year on 9 May, Russia celebrates World War 2 ‘victory day’ over Germany. Only now the date is triggering deep anxiety for Ilyas and many Ukrainians who fear Russia may try and mark the day with a major attack.
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.
EP17 was recorded using WhatsApp voice notes
From the producers of Sky News’ multi-award winning series – StoryCast.
In Kyiv, Oksana is gripped by the plight of those still trapped in Mariupol's vast steelworks.
Can international assistance not bring about their rescue?
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.
From the producers of Sky News’ multi-award winning series – StoryCast.
EP16 was recorded using WhatsApp voice notes
Musical Credit: Океан Ельзи - Місто Марії
With Russia failing to meet its military goals in the north of Ukraine, Ilyas pays a visit to his recently reopened barber shop in Kyiv - an experience that leaves him feeling the war might soon end. 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.
EP15 was recorded using WhatsApp voice notes
Producer - Rob Mulhern
Production support - Paul Stanworth
Seva continues to support the war effort in eastern Ukraine before finding himself tasked with an unusual delivery - to Chernobyl.
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.
EP 14 was recorded using WhatsApp voice notes.
From the producers of Sky News’ multi-award winning series – StoryCast.
In the suburbs of Kyiv, Oksana continues to count the cost of the plundering in her neighbourhood. This leads to a challenging conversation with her grandmother in Russia, who finds it hard to believe the allegations of rape and murder levelled at Russian soldiers.
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 13 was recorded using WhatsApp voice notes.
From the producers of Sky News’ multi-award winning series – StoryCast.
Producer - Rob Mulhern
Production support - Paul Stanworth
Ilyas tries to help his young son makes sense of the war, and his continued exile in Poland.
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.
EP12 was made using WhatsApp voice notes.
From the producers of Sky News’ multi-award winning series – StoryCast.
Producer - Rob Mulhern
Production support - Paul Stanworth
Using Wats App voice-note to record his experiences, Seva visits a recently liberated village near Kyiv where locals share a deeply troubling story.
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.
EP11 was made using WhatsApp voice notes.
From the producers of Sky News’ multi-award winning series – StoryCast.
Series producer - Rob Mulhern
How does war impact our closest relationships?
Speaking from Kyiv, Oksana, reflects on how the the conflict has changed - and is continuing to change - her marriage.
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.
From the producers of Sky News’ multi-award winning series – StoryCast.
Series producer - Rob Mulhern
Digital production - David Chipakupaku
Episode produced by Rob Mulhern with Anne-Marie Bullock
Production co-ordination - Paul Stanworth and Annie Joyce
Amid unconfirmed reports of a chemical weapons attack in Mariupol, Ilyas takes the train from Lviv to Kyiv. Here, he meets with his 84-year-old grandmother who is increasingly comparing the Nazi fascists who came to her village in 1942 with ‘Russists’ — a term now used in Ukraine to reference the extreme actions of Russian invaders.
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.
From the producers of Sky News’ multi-award winning series – StoryCast.
Series producer - Rob Mulhern
Digital production - David Chipakupaku
Production co-ordination - Paul Stanworth and Annie Joyce.
In the early days of the war, some residents fleeing Kyiv, were forced to leave their pets behind.
One such resident was Oksana’s neighbour - the owner of a blue and yellow parrot called Rio. Not only is the parrot now living with Oksana, he’s - at times - helping to divert her attention away from the 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.
From the producers of Sky News’ multi-award winning series – StoryCast.
Series producer - Rob Mulhern
Digital production - David Chipakupaku
Production support - Paul Stanworth and Annie Joyce.
From Kyiv, 40-year-old Seva is a CEO turned volunteer now helping to equip the Ukrainian army with essential aid. Included in his supply drops, to battalions located close to the frontline, are pictures, painted by children, pleading for the soldiers to win the 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.
From the producers of Sky News’ multi-award winning series – StoryCast.
Series producer - Rob Mulhern
Digital production - David Chipakupaku
Oksana struggles to make sense of alleged war crimes, committed in her once quiet neighbourhood, which have horrified the world.
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.
Recorded on 6 April 2022
From the producers of Sky News’ multi-award winning series – StoryCast.
Series producer - Rob Mulhern with Anne-Marie Bullock
Digital production - David Chipakupaku
Amid international condemnation of alleged war crimes and civilian killings by Russian forces, Ilyas finds an escape in the form of an old school friend.
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.
From the producers of Sky News’ multi-award winning series – StoryCast.
Series producer - Rob Mulhern
Digital production - David Chipakupaku
Anti-Aircraft batteries continue to light up the skies around Kyiv, despite Russia’s suggested shift in focus away from the capital. Against this backdrop, Oksana and her husband try to enjoy their first movie-night since the conflict began. This experience leads to some curious conclusions.
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.
From the producers of Sky News’ multi-award winning series – StoryCast.
Series producer - Rob Mulhern
With the Russians signalling a scaling back of their operations around Kyiv, Ilyas is making plans to return to his family home in the capital. But his wife and children, now in Poland, sense danger and don’t want him to leave Lviv.
Ukraine War Diaries uses audio recorded on the ground in Ukraine to give a first-person perspective of day-to-day life in a war zone.
From the producers of Sky News’ multi-award winning series StoryCast.
Series producer Rob Mulhern.
New episodes every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
Alex is a musician with Ukrainian folk-rock band Selo i Ludy.
Under siege in Kharkiv, in the east of the country, he and his fellow band members are taking refuge - and remarkably still recording music - in a studio now doubling as a bomb shelter.
In the second instalment of our audio diary series, following day-to-day life in a warzone, Alex describes how he continues to play with his band as the city is destroyed around them.
From the producers of Sky News' award-winning series StoryCast.
Producer: Rob Mulhern
New episodes every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.
It’s now a month since Russia invaded Ukraine. In Kyiv, Oksana keeps her weekly commitment of visiting her parents whose home lies just behind the front line.
From the producers of Sky News StoryCast.
Next episode, Monday 28th March.
24th March 2022, marks one month since Russia invaded Ukraine.
In Kyiv, Oksana is fearful of saboteurs. In Lviv, Illyas dreams of being reunited with his wife and two children who have fled to Poland.
These lives and more, have been changed forever by the Russia/Ukraine war.
But what does the future hold?
Follow the stories of Oksana, Illyas and others as they document their first-hand experiences of life on the ground in a country at war.
From the producers of Sky News StoryCast.