Remembering Ukrainians who have lost their lives in the war

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1:11Hello, I'm James Reynolds. Welcome to the documentary from the BBC World Service. In this special edition of BBC Conversations, we're remembering Ukrainians who lost their lives during four years of war.

1:27In Kyiv today, a frightening new dawn for Europe and Ukraine. This city of three million awoke to sirens and an invasion. Soon, a panicked exodus from the Ukrainian capital, as the EU spoke of one of the darkest hours since World War II. Just before dawn, on the 24th of February 2022, Russia launched its full-scale attack on Ukraine. Since then, it's estimated that hundreds of thousands on both sides have been killed. We'll hear from families of fighters, civilians and journalists about their loved ones and the impact on those left behind. When you hear about somebody being killed, but it's some unknown person to you, it's one thing, it's abstract.

2:17You don't even really feel it as real because it's a random person you've never heard of. And then when you see somebody speaking in front of you and they're saying that this is my friend, this is somebody I worked with, the abstract becomes real and therefore it feels tangible. And I think that's something that hopefully will speak to people better because it's all about making sure that people remember. We'll also feature music like this, written and sung by Nastia. Her father, Sergi, was killed fighting in the Donetsk region some nine months into the war.

3:08I heard cars pull into our yard, but my mother went outside first. When she did not return for some time, I went to look for her. I saw soldiers and medics standing next to her. I ran closer and saw that she was crying. And in that moment, I actually understood what my soul had been feeling all day. This was the time when life was divided into before and after.

3:49Actually, the hardest part was telling my younger sister, because she had been waiting for our father so much. It was very hard to tell her that 10 days before her birthday, our father had been killed. This we told her, and hearing a child scream in pain and something, I will never forget. but she truly screamed, and then all of us just broke down and cried together. It's been four years without him, and it does not get easier. I know that people say that time heals, but actually I do not agree with this, because with each passing day, it feels more painful, actually, especially knowing that I will never see him again, and I never hear his voice, I never share my thoughts with him and never hear his laughter and never can hug him.

4:49But I can say that I remember him not for the way he died. I remember him for the way he lived with determination, with courage, endless love for his family. He went to protect us because he believed that that was his duty. And no matter how much time passes, he remains my father and our hero.

5:25The song called Vtemrevi means in darkness. That all mornings is a fight. I have tears on my cheeks and I can't forget this love in my mind. You were my light and now I'm in darkness. He was not only a father but also a guide. He was someone who always listened without judgment. When I struggled he did not give me long lectures. He simply stood by me. And he always was proud about us, his girls.

6:12My name is Helen. I live in Kharkiv. My younger daughter was Yulia Zdanovska. She was killed by Russian shelling on March 3, 2022. Just hours after a huge fireball in the city's Freedom Square, several lives lost, even more wounded. It's believed to have been a missile attack.

7:04gifted mathematician. He had a dream that children don't be afraid of mathematics. He wanted to make children love mathematics like she loved it. She was very fearless. She didn't think that something bad could happen with her. Even when she died, her friends couldn't believe in it because they knew Yule like that. I, by chance, met one person. He was in the same defense hub with Yulia. It was maybe two years after Yulia's death. That man told me a story about a very bright girl from a volunteer that he met in that hub. He couldn't forget her. He told this story about that girl whom they called Goldilocks because of her hair.

8:31And when he told me this story, he didn't know that Yulia was my daughter. Helen in Kharkiv, remembering her 21-year-old daughter Yulia, who never got to realise her dreams. Our next guests wanted to pay tribute to their colleagues who lost their lives reporting on the invasion. We'll hear in a moment about photojournalist Max Levin. He was killed in the first months of the war. Firstly, though, Maria, on her friend Victoria Roschina, who died in Russian captivity in 2024. Victoria was quite an interesting case, I would say, because she was always in the office, even when she was supposed to be off.

9:14That was something that she actually had some arguments about with her editors because they kept trying to send her on a holiday or to get some time off, but yet she would still reappear in the office. She was really one of a kind, the kind of person for whom it's like a vocation to be a journalist. And that's why I think it's just so sad that her life was taken in such a brutal and awful way. The invasion was by air, sea and land. President Putin, who insisted it would never come, warning that no one should try to stop him. As the full-scale invasion started, she believed that it was her duty to report on what was happening in the occupied areas.

10:02Ukrainian journalists are very brave, but not every Ukrainian journalist would go to the occupied area because the risks are very obvious. Russia hates independent journalism. But she was one of those who was like, I have to, because if I don't report from the occupied territories, who will do it instead of me? So first time she went to the occupied areas, she was detained. I think she spent 10 days in Russian detention. And then she was released. And the condition for her to be released was that she had to record a video where she would say thank you to the Russian soldiers for saving her life.

10:43And I saw the video, it's quite chilling because obviously she only did this because that was the price of her freedom according to the Russians. So she was released, she wrote an article about her detention and the time she spent there. It is believed that the second time she was detained was because she was trying to report on the dam, you know, that Russia destroyed in the east. And she went to the occupied areas again. Satellite images barely do the scenes on the ground justice. Vast areas of eastern Ukraine downriver from the destroyed Kachovka Dam completely flooded. Some places, entire buildings are submerged.

11:24Acres of farmland... I think it was nearly a year that we didn't know anything. We had like barely no updates. And I think there was a letter that was sent to her father, Volodymyr, where the Russians basically confirmed that they have her, that she was in Russian custody. And then again, for some time, we didn't hear any updates about what was happening until October 2024. So that's just over a year ago. We learned that she died. And again, there were almost like zero details. There was no explanation in what circumstances she died, how this happened and you know when you think about somebody who's young you know she's four years younger than me i still think of myself as young and then if i think of vika like she's and you know she's very she's got she as i said she had very sort of strong stamina she was um fit and healthy you don't just die when you when you're at that age uh even if you are in custody hi my name is ina varenica i'm a ukrainian multimedia journalist and now i'm in Kyiv.

12:34Max Levin was father of my son and we are colleagues. We used to work together on the front line in Ukraine. Further fighting has been taking place outside the Ukrainian capital Kyiv, where Russian forces are around 15 miles from the centre of the city. Sometimes they had feelings that Max hurried up to live his life because he was killed when he was just 40, but he managed to do so many things in these lives. And also he had four kids and he had a job that he liked. He appreciated the moment. He really enjoyed every minute of his life and he appreciated every minute of his life.

13:27Our son was so tiny when his father was killed and it was really hard to tell him what happened to his father. But from the other side, it's really important to be honest with kids. I couldn't say our son that his father just died because it's not truth. And I had to tell him that somebody else took his life. And that's what I said to him. I told him that Russian soldiers took his life. But when the child is so young, it's really hard to understand what death thinks. And we still are going through this experience together. Now he's five and he understands things much better. And every month, every week, every year, when I see that he has questions, I explain to him more and more and more.

14:31As a journalist, I realized that we already have a generation of orphans. We need to find another way how to speak to kids because many of them lost one or two parents. And that became also my priority as a journalist as well. So I'm talking to a psychologist, to another family with the same experience. and we are trying to find a way how to grow up our kids strong and how to talk to them.

15:16Inna there, sharing her memories of Max Levin. This is the documentary from the BBC World Service. I'm James Reynolds, and in this special edition of BBC Conversations, we're remembering Ukrainians who lost their lives during the war.

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17:20This is musician Vitaly Simonenko with his friend Andrei on the drums. I am a musician. My main tool now is electronic music, so I mostly perform as DJ and live artist in Ukraine.

17:50I think the drama was really good level because the music was like not that easy so we were only in two and the drama had to do a lot as to make the ensemble sound good. I was searching like for a really strong person. I was recommended like about Anvi so I wrote him on Instagram and he said that oh man I know new music of course let's play like it was such a such a good thing to hear because somehow it really helped to feel comfortable maybe. We did two rehearsals and played the concert, so he was really quick to learn, and he had been a professional drummer, so that is why he played really well.

18:32He was so skilled.

18:41In Ukraine, men aged between 25 and 60 have to serve in the military unless they have an exemption. And it seemed that Andrei didn't have the right papers with him. In July of 2024, Andrei was caught by our servicemen and it turned out that he hadn't those needed documents. He didn't come to the special place to refresh the database about him. So in this way, he was taken to the military. and in October he did the last post on Instagram and that's all and then like once more I understand that I had no news from him on the internet because he did post sometimes about his service ship and so on so and we like started asking each other with musicians where he is and no one knows and still the same we just have no news how did it happen no from his commanders There is no from media, there is nothing.

19:43It was really good. So I really hope that we play again together.

19:57Eastern Ukraine is being eroded. Russian forces are approaching, taking village after village. and for the people living here, death or occupation feels imminent. My name is Lily. I am 45 years old and I am a teacher, a teacher of English. So really I was a very happy wife as my husband was very kind, smart and had a brave and courageous heart. And besides, United was an extremely caring person and everybody loved him for this charitable and understanding heart. And on the 21st of July 2024, he was killed by Russians. and my dear husband was only 46. He could do so much for his family and country.

21:07But someone decided that no. Such great people mustn't live. And you know, he's still on occupied territory. His body is still there. And this fact breaks not only my heart, but our heart, because with my daughter we have one heart for both. It breaks even more.

21:47So it wasn't this way. Ukraine has once again been pounded with drones and ballistic missiles by Russia overnight. And again, targeting energy systems, injuring at least seven people in the capital, Kiev and Indonesia. My name is Tetiana Polchchak. I live in Zaporizhia. So it's a frontline city, you know, and that's why it's rather challenging for me to be here and to speak to you. because I'm listening parallel to alerts. My son-in-law, my niece's husband, Volodymyr, he was defending one of the villages and he moved with those people who were wounded. He helped to evacuate them in order to prevent people from being killed and to get them the possibility to step back.

22:48So they caused the fire on themselves. And it was their last fight.

23:00Our family knows him not only as a hero, as a military, but as a good friend. Yes, a loving husband, a very caring and sensitive father. So I think that his parents are very proud of him. I'm Lili Avrianova. My son's name is Andriy. And you know that he had a call sign Jews. He's well known in the world as a Ukrainian pilot Jews. He was named during his visit to California National Guard Air Base in 2019, and American colleagues called him Jews because he preferred Jews and didn't drink alcohol at all.

24:00Yes, beautiful! In a rare interview with our colleagues at the BBC Ukrainian service, One pilot, nicknamed Juice, spoke about the pressures the airmen are under. Intercepting the cruise missiles, your mission is to save the lives on the ground, to save the city. You're not able. It's a terrible feeling that somebody will die. Somebody will die in minutes and you didn't prevent that.

24:36My son was killed in the collision of two Fator jets in 2023. It was absolutely an unexpected event, a catastrophe. And, of course, it's a huge loss for our Air Force and for our people and not only for us. I guess that he compressed his life, so he used his years of life more intensively than usual human. So maybe it seems like this life is short, but this life was so intensive, and he put every minute, every moment of his life to help our country in this war. Lilia remembering her son Andrei, the Ukrainian fighter pilot known as Juice. Our thanks to her and to all the families and friends who've shared their memories of loved ones lost during the war.

25:41I'm James Reynolds. You've been listening to the documentary from the BBC World Service.

26:02We focus on the part of the internet that most people don't know about. It's called the dark web. Undercover in the furthest corners of the dark web, US special agents are on a mission to locate and rescue children from abuse. Move in now. From the BBC World Service, World of Secrets, the darkest web follows their shocking investigations. Search for World of Secrets wherever you get your BBC podcasts.