Olena Barabash recalls how her family had to leave Kharkiv at the beginning of the invasion. It wasn't the shelling that scared them then, it was the unknown future: where would they be tomorrow? Later, they returned home.

Despite the shelling and endless anxiety in the city, the girl is a professional swimmer. This is her personal challenge to the war!

Olena is confident with both her body and her words. In 2023, she sent her work to the Museum of Civilian Voices: an essay on the topic My Ukraine. Among four thousand essays, Olena's was recognised as one of the best.