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Ukrainian Woman Documents What Her Family Cooks and Eats Inside Bomb Shelter amid Russia’s Invasion
Natasha Dado – March 15, 2022
Valeria Shashenok, a Ukrainian photographer, is documenting her family’s experience from inside a bomb shelter amid Russia’s invasion of the country.
Since the war, Shashenok has shared a series of videos on TikTok, which show how her family is coping while, she says, they are hunkered down in the shelter, which is located Chernihiv.
In one clip, Shashenok — who goes by the username @valerissh and has garnered over 800,000 followers — chronicles how she cooks pasta. In the clip, the 20-year-old is seen showing off a pan of noodles as she imagines “she is in Italy.” Another clip shows Shashenok’s mom preparing borscht — a sour soup common in Eastern Europe — on a small electric hot plate.
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In a video posted on March 11, Shashenok demonstrates how she and her family made coffee during a power outage at the shelter. With limited resources, Shashenok adds ground coffee beans and water to what, appears to be a heat-proof cup, before lighting the container with a blow torch, which instantly creates the coffee. “I’m shocked, but it works!” Shashenok wrote over the clip.
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Her account also chronicles the damage done to Ukraine. In a different video shared on March 4, Shashenok leaves the bunker to retrieve some items from her home, and while on the way, she shares footage of the country’s destruction.
Despite the heartache of war, Shashenok manages to incorporate humor in her TikTok videos, joking in one clip that the bomb shelter is like a “5 star hotel” and the bathroom area is a “place for reading books!”
TikTok
Speaking on her decision to document her experience, Shashenok told The Cut: “I want to show what’s happening in my country… I’m that person who always ragged on everything with humor. It’s the best way to show people the problem. I’m that person who always sees light in the dark, and it’s a nice way to do something for my country.”
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Russia’s attack on Ukraine continues after their forces launched a large-scale invasion on Feb. 24 — the first major land conflict in Europe in decades. Details of the fighting change by the day, but hundreds of civilians have already been reported dead or wounded, including children. More than a million Ukrainians have also fled, the United Nations says.
The invasion, ordered by President Vladimir Putin, has drawn condemnation around the world and increasingly severe economic sanctions against Russia.
With NATO forces massing in the region around Ukraine, various countries have also pledged aid or military support to the resistance. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called for peace talks — so far unsuccessful — while urging his country to fight back.
Putin, 69, insists Ukraine has historic ties to Russia and he is acting in the best security interests of his country. Zelenskyy, 44, vowed not to bend. “Nobody is going to break us, we’re strong, we’re Ukrainians,” he told the European Union in a speech in the early days of the fighting, adding, “Life will win over death. And light will win over darkness.”
The Russian attack on Ukraine is an evolving story, with information changing quickly. Follow PEOPLE’s complete coverage of the war here, including stories from citizens on the ground and ways to help.