Ukrainian War Personal Stories

A collection of emotional moments from the early days of the Russia-Ukraine war, as shared by Shaan Puri.

"I saw these videos through a Ukrainian Telegram group Ben linked me to. I couldn't read the text since it was all in Ukrainian, but I could watch the videos. There was this heartbreaking viral video of a dad saying goodbye to his daughter after conscription was announced - where all men between 18-60 had to join the army. His daughter was about 4 years old and didn't understand what was happening. I have a 2-year-old daughter, so it just shattered me.

Then on Reddit, there were videos of Russian POWs saying they didn't want to be there. They claimed they were tricked and thought they were going for practice. They said 'We thought you were going to welcome us with open arms.' Their equipment was poor - tanks from the 80s and 90s that weren't well maintained. It didn't look like a well-oiled machine.

Meanwhile, the Ukrainian president was showing incredible leadership - he's out there in green t-shirts giving press conferences, on the streets, showing true bravery. The Ukrainian people rallied behind him with 90% support, making molotov cocktails in the streets, united with a sense of purpose and community."