FREE TIME

Posting About The Realities Of Life

TOMA ISTOMINA

TOMA IS DEPUTY CHIEF EDITOR AT THE KYIV INDEPENDENT – AN INDEPENDENT ENGLISH LANGUAGE NEWSPAPER IN UKRAINE. FOLLOW HER ON TWITTER @TOMATOMTOMMY AND READ ALL HER STORIES FOR THE NEWSPAPER, HERE

KRISTINA KORBAN

IN STARK CONTRAST TO HER VIDEO IN FEBRUARY IN A ROOFTOP SWIMMING POOL, KRISTINA KORBAN’S NEXT VIDEO ON HER TIKTOK SHOWS HER WATCHING MISSILES FLY THROUGH THE SKY RIGHT IN FRONT OF HER EYES. “LIVE FROM UKRAINE,” SHE SAYS. “WE ARE INVADED. LAST NIGHT MY HOUSE SHOOK WITH EXPLOSIONS.” SINCE THEN, SHE’S BEEN POSTING ABOUT WARTIME MEALS AND WAYS TO HELP. SHE’S STILL IN KYIV AND POSTED AN UPDATED JUST THIS MORNING. “I’M SEEING MORE AND MORE MEDICAL FACILITIES BEING DESTROYED,” SHE SAYS TO CAMERA. “IT’S JUST HORRIBLE.”.

OLGA TOKARIUK

OLGA IS AN INDEPENDENT JOURNALIST BASED IN UKRAINE, SHE HAS BEEN POSTING UPDATES ON HER TWITTER @OLGATOKARIUK. OLGA ALSO HOSTED THIS INSIGHTFUL UKRAINE WORLD PODCAST EPISODE ABOUT HOW RUSSIA USES DISINFORMATION AS AN INSTRUMENT OF WAR.

VALERISSSH

PHOTOGRAPHER VALERISH HAS BEEN MAKING TIKTOK VIDEOS ABOUT THE REALITIES OF LIVING IN A BOMB SHELTER AND WHAT IT’S LIKE TO HAVE TO EVACUATE YOUR COUNTRY. HER HUMOUR AMONGST THE DEVASTATION IS HUMBLING, ESPECIALLY IN THIS ONE ABOUT HOW TO MAKE COFFEE WITHOUT ELECTRICITY.

ALINA VOLIK

BEFORE RUSSIA’S INVASION OF UKRAINE, ALINA WAS A TRAVEL BLOGGER POSTING VIDEOS ABOUT HER ADVENTURES. NOW SHE MAKES TIKTOKS ABOUT THE REALITIES OF LIVING THROUGH AND FLEEING WAR. “MY MOM AND I GOT ON THE TRAIN ON THE THIRD TRY,” SHE WRITES IN A VIDEO. SHE SPENT 30 HOURS SHARING A BED WITH STRANGERS. AT THE END OF THE VIDEO, ALINA HAS MADE IT TO BUDAPEST AND SHE SHOWS HERSELF SMILING WITH HER HOST FAMILY.

ANNA MYRONIUK

ANNA IS A JOURNALIST AND CO-FOUNDER OF THE KYIV INDEPENDENT. “IT WAS EIGHT O’CLOCK ON FEB. 26. THE FAMILY OF MAKSYM KARAUSH GATHERED FOR BREAKFAST IN THE KITCHEN OF THEIR KYIV APARTMENT. A FEW MINUTES INTO THE MEAL, A RUSSIAN MISSILE HIT THEIR BEDROOM,” ANNA WROTE, IN THIS POWERFUL STORY, KYIV UNDER SHELLING: ‘FIRST THING I HEARD WAS MY CHILD’S SCREAM,’ ABOUT TWO FAMILIES WHO WERE NEARLY KILLED BY SHELLING. YOU CAN FOLLOW HER ON TWITTER @ANNAMYRONIUK.