Then, on February 24, 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine. This event completely changed the life of Kira, a 24 year old woman living in a rural community in Australia. She and her family were first getting ready to take their state tests that day. Overnight, they must escape the nightmare of war. Kira’s story is one of resilience and adaptation, as she navigates her new life in Australia while grappling with the separation from her father, who remained in Ukraine to defend their homeland.
Kira’s family was forced to uproot from their home. Under Russian occupation it had transformed into a site of suffering and violence. As a result, the war has spectacularly altered the nature of her home and the nature of her contented life there. Kira looks back at her childhood with bittersweet memories. She’s called her hometown a “hub for torture,” shedding light on the torturous effects that this violent conflict has left behind on her people.
The Difficult Decision to Leave
It’s an awful situation. Kira’s mother was put in a heart-wrenching position. She made the decision to bring Kira and her sister to Australia, where their older sibling had moved many years before. This decision emerged out of a need to feel safety during the madness overtaking Ukraine. Kira recalls the moment they left, explaining, “So, in my mind, it was like we were going on a holiday.” Yet, this holiday transformed into a bittersweet respite from the grim realities of war.
Ever since their arrival in Australia in April 2022, Kira and her family have been through the wringer. The loss of their father (who was left in Ukraine to join the fight against Russian invaders) is a heavy burden on them. Kira shares the emotional strain of their separation, stating, “My father obviously misses my sister and I a lot. My grandmother gets really upset when we’re in a call. She cries every single time.”
Her mother is left to support their family on her own. Through the ups and downs of navigating a new culture, Kira hopes to show them what they’re up against. “Here we have a sense of peace and safety, but everything has its difficulties,” she notes.
Adapting to a New Environment
Though settling into her new life has not come without its challenges for Kira. English is her third language, but she confesses that having to begin again—make new friends, study, work—all of it has been pretty overwhelming. “English is my third language, so starting a new life, making friends, studying and working has been stressful,” she explains. In spite of these challenges, Kira refuses to allow these obstacles to hold her back.
Participation in the ABC’s Heywire competition allowed her to share her experiences and provide insight into her unique perspective as a young refugee. The challenge encourages participants to be candid and direct. This principle hits especially hard with Kira as she recounts her personal journey.
The transition has not been easy. Kira often finds herself caught between her new life and the ongoing thoughts of those she left behind. “I love my life in Australia, but I get really upset thinking about how my people are still suffering,” she says. Her emotional struggle often leads her to avoid the news to cope with the anxiety surrounding the ongoing conflict. “I try to avoid the news or block it out of my mind to cope.”
The Impact of War on Community
Kira’s memories of her hometown serve to highlight the deep transformation that war has inflicted upon her home. “All of the people I knew there have left and new people have moved in,” she observes. This powerful statement shines a light on the much wider displacement crisis that has affected over a million families across Ukraine.
Kira …studying her new world and figuring out how to get around it. She holds on to that hope for many tomorrows ahead when peace will come to Ukraine. Her story tells the individual cost of war. They inspire and empower the resilience and strength found in young people like her who grapple with these morbid feelings and work towards creating a different world.
