No one can stop Russia and she understood this. The Russians saw the complete impotence of all international organizations, which are absolutely powerless to stop the aggressor. This was stated to NOVA by the Ukrainian journalist and director Tatyana Staneva.
She is originally a Bessarabian Bulgarian and lives in Kiev. She is currently in Sofia for the world premiere of her film “She”. Subsidized by the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine, the film is dedicated to the silent heroes – the wives of soldiers. The film follows the lives of three women from the Bessarabian region, from the beginning of the war to the present day.
„On February 24, 2022, we were all in a panic. We didn't know what to do, where to go, how long it would last. At first, we thought the horror would end in a month or two. We didn't realize how long it would be”, says Tatyana Staneva. And she adds that she is getting used to the situation. „You just adapt. For our children, there is no „no” or „I can't”. There is no electricity? There are batteries, there are generators. It's snowing? God, what's the problem! We'll clean it up, we'll figure something out, because we have to”, says Tatyana.
„That night, when I was driving to Bessarabia to go to Bulgaria, they were hitting Bolgrad. This is the city around which the most Bulgarians live. Naturally, the targets are the power plants. Accordingly, many people are left without electricity. But they do not break down, this does not break them. On the contrary - their anger becomes even greater. I do not know what exactly Russia is aiming for with these strikes. We already have a term with which we call them - “holodomor“. Like “gladomor“, which the Soviet Union carried out in 1930-1940”, says Tatyana.
And she adds that at the beginning there was a lot of hope for the peace negotiations. However, no one paid attention to them anymore. “We know that Russia cannot be trusted. After every negotiation, there are strikes. Russia violates all agreements, and then makes new demands on us. We already have experience with giving up territories. However, this did not lead to anything - it only briefly stopped Russia's appetites. They do it because they can. And no one can stop them”, says Tatyana. And she adds that Ukrainians are already hoping for a miracle.
Tatyana Staneva's film is also connected to Bulgaria.
“One of my heroines is Bulgarian. Their husbands are Bulgarians who serve in the 88th battalion, based in Bolgrad. This film is different because it focuses on women, on the silent heroes of this war, who patiently wait – wait for a message, wait for a call from the front, wait for victory, so that they can realize their dreams. One dreams of giving birth to a child after the end of the war, the second - to gather her entire family at one table, and the third - to return to her parents in Zhytomyr”, says Tatyana.
Over the years, the three heroines have changed. Tatyana says that the film is difficult, but still there is hope that love really conquers all.
“You start to value life terribly. We Ukrainians have the feeling that we only have today. No one knows about tomorrow... What should we be afraid of? In an interview I was asked why I still live in Ukraine, and then it dawned on me - because I love it very much. And this love conquers fear,“ says Tatyana.