Welcome to episode #5 of the Regional Voices of Wartime Ukraine’s podcast made by UCMC
Russian brutality has turned millions of lives into horrific accounts once unimaginable before the full-scale war, with some of the most tragic coming from Mariupol—events that shocked the entire world. Almost every Mariupol resident experienced this hell, and for many, it is still ongoing. Among them is Viktoria, who found refuge in Lithuania but has yet to find peace. Since the spring of 2022, the Russians have been holding her husband captive.
“They will either jail or kill me,” Yaroslav Zhdamarov told his beloved Viktoria not long before being imprisoned. The girl recalls the words with pain in her heart and tears in her eyes.
It’s approaching the three-year mark since her husband was taken away, but Viktoria is still fighting and looking for any way to help her beloved. What was the couple’s life like before Russia launched a full-scale invasion? What were their thoughts as they left the destroyed city? How does a girl waiting for her beloved to return for so long survive?
The text version is available at the link.
Supported by the U.S. Embassy in Ukraine. The views of the authors do not necessarily reflect the official position of the U.S. Government.