Irreversible
Beautiful architecture of Ukrainian homes, a new poem, and a must-see documentary I’ve been working on.
I was sitting in front of my computer, translating the raw war footage recorded by Ukrainian soldiers who were trying to liberate a Russian-captured village. Suddenly, a bright light shone from my screen as a sun ray found its way through the broken window in a ruined Ukrainian house. I paused, mesmerized by this moment. The golden evening light made everything so magical and calm, as if there was no war at all. It lasted only a few seconds, during which the shelling got quieter, and I could hear a bird singing. The image on my screen changed, but I was rewinding the video again and again to see a glimpse of the ordinary peaceful life that Russians forever took away.
Since 2014, Russians have occupied 43,000 sq miles (112,000 sq km) of Ukraine and thousands of Ukrainian towns and villages. The numbers don’t show the true scale of destruction and pain, as every single place held someone’s entire life and memories. Every single house was someone’s home. Every settlement that Russians razed to the ground had a cemetery with the generations of someone’s family. There are things that are impossible to rebuild, and it’s unbearable to watch how Russians erase them forever, day after day, with impunity.
Besides the personal loss, there is a loss of culture and history that happens whenever Russians capture a Ukrainian place. They burn Ukrainian books and libraries, loot museums, and destroy historical buildings. The damage is irreversible, as even the ordinary houses in Ukrainian villages are works of art that tell the stories of generations. Just look at the photos below taken by the Old Khata Project that documents the houses in rural Ukraine to preserve their unique history and culture. In Ukrainian, the word “khata” means a house in the village.
See more photos of Ukrainian houses on Instagram
You can buy a beautiful book featuring photos of Ukrainian houses and stories of people who live there and support Ukraine. I own this book, and it’s one of the most treasured books in my home library.
Many houses featured in the book are either on the occupied territories, lying in ruins, or damaged. All of them are in danger of being destroyed by Russians, who don’t show any signs of remorse or slowing down in their desire to devour and subjugate the whole of Ukraine.
Home Little white house, what do you see? Missiles and warplanes instead of the stars. Phosphorus bombs exploding like fireworks, painting the sky with burning scars. Laughter and love lived in your walls that enemy turned into rubble and glass. Once blooming garden has craters from bombs. No flowers, no trees, only aches and dust. Little white house stands still and alone. Waiting for shelling to change to bird songs. Hoping, that one day the war will end, and through old, creaky gates, people come home.
Russian propaganda and the power games of the world’s politicians plant lies in people’s heads that it’s Russians who bring peace and it’s Ukrainians who want war. Yet, no one wants this war to end more than Ukrainians, who dream of going back to their usual lives and coming back home.
The documentary I’ve been translating the footage for is called “2000 Meters to Andriivka.” It was directed by Oscar-winning Ukrainian filmmaker Mstyslav Chernov and produced by Frontline PBS. The film tells the story of a Ukrainian platoon whose mission is to liberate the small village of Andriivka in the Donetsk region. It shows the war through the eyes of ordinary people who had to take up arms to protect their home, loved ones, and freedom. It is an emotional, beautiful, and very important documentary, and it was a great honor to contribute to it as a translator.
The film premieres at the Sundance Festival on January 23rd. If you are in the U.S., you can watch it online from January 30th to February 2nd. The sale of online tickets has already started, and they are selling out quickly. It would mean a lot if you watch the documentary and spread the word about it!
“2000 Meters to Andriivka” screening schedule and information
Warmly,
Darya
Email: daryazorka@substack.com
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Thank you Darya for writing this story. I also have the Old Khata Project book; it is an absolute treasure. Love your poem too. Hopefully the film ’2000 Meters to Andriivka’ will become available in my part of the world. 🇳🇿🫂🇺🇦
Thank you, Darya! Based on your recommendation, I bought the Old Khata book and will now see the film, too. The loss of these hand-hewn homes, with all their attendant artistry hurts my heart, too. The other day, I was mourning the registry of thousands of heirloom seeds that russia targeted and destroyed early in the war. A death cult, indeed.