Oleksandr Biloshapka, director of the Children’s Creative Centre in Darnytskyi district of Kyiv and leader of the Suvenir children’s brass band, was at home with his youngest daughter when the war broke out. At that time, the rest of his family was far away from the capital.

Oleksandr Biloshapka says that the Great War was a natural fact for him (given the long history of relations between the northern neighbour and Ukraine), but still a surprise. He did not believe that the russians would attack again in the present day.

At five in the morning on February 24, 2022, Oleksandr told his daughter: “It’s war!” He went to work with her. The director’s entire family quickly returned to Ukraine, but they stayed in Lviv. And he and his daughter actually stayed in their institution for more than a month.

Of course, the small school headed by Oleksandr does not have as big a shelter as other schools. But his colleagues and students with their parents immediately began to come to this shelter.

The staff organised the conditions for the children’s stay. The teachers established communication with activists, the police and the territorial defence forces. According to Oleksandr, there were many “collaborators” in the first months of the war. They informed the enemy about the location of the Ukrainian military, even putting marks on buildings.       

Most of the students soon went abroad with their parents. But those who stayed behind gave their first small concert on March 8. “I have performed on various stages around the world, but the concert for people in the basement that we gave in early March 2022 is the one I remember the most,” the head of the children’s creative group recalls.