Growing up under missiles — Ukrainian childhoods shaped by war (PHOTOS)

Yahoo

2 days ago

Ukrainian children are growing up in a world entirely reshaped by Russia's war. Sirens, blackouts, and bomb shelters are nothing extraordinary — but a part of everyday childhood.
This photo story follows five families as they raise their children in the shadow of the ongoing invasion. It's not about the battlefield, but of bedrooms with windows shattered by blasts, morning routines interrupted by air raid alerts, and games played in underground shelters. The war seeps into the smallest moments.
The Kyiv Independent spoke to children and their families to understand how war affects childhood, how it quietly rewrites dreams, creeps into fantasies, and redefines what it means to be safe. Children, in their honesty and imagination, reflect truths that adults sometimes struggle to express.
One thing all the children who spoke to the Kyiv Independent have in common: They all feel safest when there are no air raid alerts or the sounds of Russian missiles and drones above them.The morning of Feb. 24, 2022, Tina and Tymofii's mother Yuliia Tyshchenko woke up to feed then- 8-month-old Tymofii — when, for the first time, she heard the terrifying sound of the first explosions of the invasion. Within 10 minutes, Yuliia and her husband Bohdan Tyshchenko, had gathered their things, picked up their daughter Tina from her grandparents, and set off west, driving without a clear destination.
After the liberation of Kyiv Oblast, they returned home and now, they no longer want to leave. They are happy to be home.
They spent many nights hiding in the basement, but the children always got sick afterward. With no better option, they began taking shelter in their bathroom, even though they know it offers little real protection.
Every day, the family says they thank God and Ukraine's defenders for the morning, for waking up, and for being alive.
(I'd like to have) the superpower of fire because it can destroy. I would first destroy Putin, because he is very bad.
The Kyiv Independent: What superpower would you like to have and why?
Tina: The superpower of fire because it can destroy. I would first destroy (Russian President Vladimir) Putin, because he is very bad.
When I grow up, I'd buy, like, a gun or something, and I'd go and, um… pretend to be a Russian. And then I'd pick some poisonous berries — they don't know what poisonous berries are. And then I'd give them some, and they'd all die and be dead.
I'd give Putin a worse death. And Russia too — a terrible one. Because Putin is very mean. And the president of Ukraine is much, much, much, much better.
The Kyiv Independent: You wouldn't shoot him with fire, right?
Tina: No! I'd take care of him. And give him blueberries. Or strawberries.
The Kyiv Independent: You'd give blueberries or strawberries to our president?
Tina: Yes! Or cake.
The Kyiv Independent: What do you dream about?
Tina: I want to be very rich. I want to buy everything I want.Sofiia Ovsieienko was just five months old when Russia's full-scale invasion began on Feb. 24, 2022. She and her mother, Kateryna Ovsieienko, fled Chernihiv under heavy shelling after spending three weeks in the city without electricity, water, or heating. They found temporary refuge in Germany, where they lived for six months before returning home.
Since returning, the war has shaped the rhythms of their daily life. After an explosion shattered their windows and a rocket fragment hit a neighboring apartment, going to the shelter during air raid alerts is a regular part of their routine. Sofiia knows what the sirens mean: time to run to the shelter. She does this at kindergarten, and she does it at home with her mom.
Sometimes, going to the shelter can even resemble a small adventure to Sofiia. She knows there will be other children there — and afterward, her mom always buys her cocoa or a hot dog.
The first thing she asks when they go underground is 'What's in the bag?' She knows her mom's emergency backpack is always packed with her favorite toys and snacks.
The sound of knocking frightens her most.
Sofiia doesn't remember the beginning of the war. When she hears the air defense systems, she asks, 'Who's knocking?' The sound of knocking frightens her most.
She may not understand war, but she feels its presence every day.When the war began, Matvii and his mother, Nina Logachova, left their home. His father stayed behind and joined the military. For six months, the mother and son lived with friends, first in Ukraine's Carpathian Mountains, then in Portugal — before they returned.
Matvii is now in kindergarten. He loves robots and books. His favorite is 'The Battle for the City,' a story that helps kids believe that light will overcome darkness and that evil will eventually be punished. He flips through the pages quickly, pausing to show the illustrations of war.
They still haven't bought a mattress for the bathroom, where they hide during attacks. It's hard to accept that this might be their reality for a long time. His mother's calm helps, but she can't silence the explosions that frighten Matvii so much.
When they travel abroad, Matvii remains tense, constantly asking his mother if the planes flying overhead are the 'good ones.'
'Children are not made for war, fear, and despair in those little eyes. No children are,' Nina says.
— When do you feel safe? — When there is no air alarm or anything else scary.
The Kyiv Independent: What superpower would you like to have and why?
Matvii: I want to have all the superpowers from the cartoon Dinoster to defeat bandits…and the biggest bandits are Russians.
The Kyiv Independent: Do you get scared sometimes?
Matvii: Of course. When there's a siren, or something... The Russians do stuff to make me scared.
The Kyiv Independent: When do you feel safe?
Matvii: When there is no air alarm or anything else scary. On the first day of the full-scale invasion, the Davydenko family woke up to the sound of a missile whistling over their home in Kyiv. They immediately fled to western Ukraine.
Now they're back home. Andrii often sleeps in his parents' closet, surrounded by his favorite panda and capybara stuffed animals. During missile attacks, the family shelters there or in their building's parking garage. When sheltering, they play games or discuss their hopes for the future.
Every month, Andrii helps underprivileged children from the NGO Misto Dobra, buying them gifts with his pocket money and going through his own toys and clothes to donate to the children.
The Kyiv Independent: What would you wish for if you had three wishes?
Andrii: If I had a magic wish, the first would be for the war to end. The second would be 100 more wishes. The third: 200 more wishes. Or maybe… to have endless money. Because with money, you can do anything: end the war, buy whatever you want, and help other people.
The Kyiv Independent: How would you end the war with money?
Andrii: I'd build a couple of nuclear missiles. They (Russia) attacked us because we have nothing, no nuclear weapons. And my third wish would be a Bugatti Chiron.
If I had a magic wish, the first would be for the war to end.
The Kyiv Independent: If you could move a house anywhere on the planet, where would you move it?
Andrii: I would move my house to Japan because I really love sushi.The Kyiv Independent: Do you get scared sometimes?
Andrii: When there is an air raid at night, when ballistic missiles or cruise missiles are flying.
The Kyiv Independent: When do you feel safe?'Where grandma lives,' Andrii says, pointing to the Carpathian Mountains on the map on the wall.At the beginning of the war, Timofii and his mother, Marharyta Valevach, left for Poland, while his father, Bohdan Moskalchuk, remained in Ukraine. Six months later, the family reunited and returned to Kyiv — because home is home, and everywhere else you're a stranger.
War inevitably steals parts of childhood, and his parents are doing their best to lessen its impact. He won't get another childhood. These are the years that will shape his memories, and his parents want him to remember trips to theme parks and visits to the village, not bomb shelters and the sound of Shahed drones.
Timofii is fascinated by building things out of whatever he can find. He also loves hiding in boxes or creating his own little shelters, though he can't quite explain why he enjoys them so much.
Sometimes he likes to draw, and lately, he often draws explosions. Whether they come from missiles or from his imagination in a fictional game, it's hard to say.
I wish I had the superpower to get really angry so I could protect myself from bad guys.
The Kyiv Independent: What superpower would you like to have and why?
Tymofii: I wish I had the superpower to get really angry so I could protect myself from bad guys.
The Kyiv Independent: Are you brave?
Tymofii: Yes, I'm only afraid of monsters when I have a scary dream.The Kyiv Independent: When do you feel safe?Tymofii: At home... with mom and dad, and also my grandparents.
Read also: Coming of Age Amidst War
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