As Russia continues its attack on Ukraine, young Ukrainians have been documenting their experiences on TikTok. Diana Totok and Valeria Shashenok are two young Ukrainians whose videos have given people around the world an insight into how the conflict has uprooted their lives.
Diana Totok is a 19-year-old Ukrainian who has been forced to flee her home country. Diana, her mother and her 17-year-old sister fled to neighbouring Romania when the bombing began two weeks ago.
In a series of videos uploaded to her TikTok, Diana captures the brutality and heartache of escaping her homeland during a war.
@diana_totok Thank you to Romania for helping Ukrainians 🇷🇴💪🇺🇦
♬ Where Is The Love for Ukraine by Lauren Amour – Lauren Amour
Due to Ukraine’s new wartime martial laws, women are allowed to choose whether they stay or leave the country. Men on the other hand have no choice but to stay and fight.
This means her father was forced to stay on the Ukrainian side of the border. Diana filmed the moment she said goodbye to her father through a wire fence.
It has now been viewed 20 million times on TikTok.
@diana_totok Thank you to Romania
“It feels just like a horror movie,” Diana told Guardian Australia.
“I don’t know, filming is just one of the ways I can just put everything that’s going on my mind, like, in order.
“I was filming this moment and actually saw in my head how I would edit it, what song I would put on it, all of that.”
Valeria Shashenok is another Ukrainian who has been documenting her life during the war via TikTok.
Her video “My Typical Day In A Bomb Shelter” has been viewed over 37 million times.
It shows how her family (including their pet dog) live the majority of their lives in an underground bunker to stay out of harm’s way.
@valerisssh Living my best life 🥰🥰🥰 Thanks Russia! #ukraine #stopwar #russiastop
Another series of popular uploads on Valeria’s account depict her mother cooking in the bomb shelter.
In this particular TikTok, her mother is preparing a traditional Eastern European dish called syrniki from cottage cheese.
@valerisssh cooking time
Valeria’s TikTok have gained global traction. She’s even been asked to do an interview on CNN in the US about her experiences.
“I feel it’s like my mission to show people how it looks in real life. That it’s real life, and I’m here,” the young Ukrainian said.
The currently conflict in Ukraine can feel super confusing. We’ve done out best to simplify it in a short explainer which you can read here.
If you’re feeling powerless about the whole situation (as many of us are) and want to help support the Ukrainian people affected by Russia’s invasion, here is a non-exhaustive list of resources and organisations to check out.
Australians in need of consular assistance should call the Australian Government’s 24-hour Consular Emergency Centre on 1300 555 135 in Australia (if you’re calling on someone’s behalf) or +61 2 6261 3305 outside Australia.
