Invaded: Voicemails from Ukraine

Vera describes the decisions she has to make each night about where to sleep

Olga describes the impact that increased bombing of Odesa is having

Vera describes how multicultural Kharkiv was before the war

Mariia is still in Kyiv and has been thinking about how, even in the darkest of times, you can still find moments of happiness and hope

Vera describes what it was like to play her violin in a concert in London via videolink from Kharkiv

Olga describes watching children play in a bomb shelter whilst Odesa is attacked

Naliia talks about her mum’s decision to leave Ukraine

Mariia has been back in Kyiv for a while now. In this voicemail she describes what the capital is like

For much of the war the southern city of Odesa has managed to avoid rocket attacks, but when many Ukrainians were celebrating Orthodox Easter the region was bombed. Olga sent us this voicemail about her experience of that weekend

Vera is still in Kharkiv in Eastern Ukraine where shelling has intensified. In this voicemail she describes how Easter Sunday quickly became one of the scariest days of her life

This is our first voicemail from Tania. She’s from Dnipro in central Ukraine, but has moved to the city of Chernivtsi near the Romanian border. Like many of us she started her morning with a cup of coffee and looked at the news

Naliia describes what it was like seeing her dad for the first time since the war started

Naliia has been catching up with friends in Kyiv. She’s noticed they’ve changed physically since the war began

Olga is a professor at the university in Odesa. She has been wondering what history will textbooks will say about the war in Ukraine

Olga hasn’t had any issues accessing food and supplies in the southern city of Odesa, but many of her favourite Ukrainian brands have disappeared from supermarket shelves

In this voicemail, Naliia reflects on the many years of upheaval she’s experienced in her life and the strength it’s taken to rebuild each time

Vera has been speaking to friends in occupied areas of Ukraine and the besieged city of Mariupol

Naliia spent the weekend catching up with friends all over Ukraine

Back in Kyiv, Naliia is helping volunteer soldiers in the capital.

Odesa has been attacked by Russian missiles. Olga describes what it was like

After much consideration, Naliia has returned to Kyiv. In this voicemail she gives her visceral reaction to news of civilian killings in areas once occupied by Russian forces.

Last time we heard from Kseniya she was in Poland. She has now travelled to Vienna.

In this voicemail, Vera tells us how difficult it is for people living in Kharkiv right now without any water, heating or electricity

Before the war started Nina moved to western Ukraine. Now she is going to Poland.

In her first voicemail Olga tells us about the physical impact the war has had on her despite her city not being under direct attack.

In an emotional message, Naliia reflects on life in Lutsk a month into the war

A violinist living in Kharkiv, Vera has been playing music in the basement of her house whilst sheltering from heavy Russian bombardment

This is Volodymyr’s first voicemail. He has already had to flee his home once in 2014. Now he has been displaced by war again

Naliia describes how her emotions change from day to day

Mariia has had a busy week buying bulletproof vests for her friends

Nina is brought to tears by memories of her childhood and hometown

In her first voicemail Viktoria tells us how she was living abroad when her country was invaded and what it is like being separated from her family

This is an update on what we know about where people are and what they are doing just over three weeks into the invasion

Naliia gets some good news about her auntie, who lived in a house that was shelled

Kseniya is leaving Krakow, but is always looking over her shoulder at what’s happening in Ukraine

Naliia is concerned for her dad, who lives in a Russian-occupied part of Ukraine

Nina is woken up by explosions at the local airport. It no longer feels safe anywhere

Naliia reminds us that despite the optimism in her last message, the war is never far away

Naliia is currently living in Lutsk in north-western Ukraine. Over the weekend, she got back into teaching

Nina is appalled by the attack on a maternity hospital in Mariupol and worries about the fate of Ukraine’s cities

Oleksandr has spent some time with volunteers preparing for a Russian attack

Nina is appalled by the attack on a maternity hospital in Mariupol and worries about the fate of Ukraine’s cities

Naliia is wondering how she can return to work as a teacher whilst war rages in Ukraine

Almost two weeks into the war, Oleksandr doesn’t know what day it is anymore

Now a bit safer in north-western Ukraine, Naliia has started to have nightmares and feels powerless to help

Oleksandr worries burglaries and street crime may rise as people become more desperate

Kseniya is now settled in Poland, but the effects of the war are never far away

Naliia has made it to Lutsk in north west Ukraine, but she cannot avoid the brutality of the war

Naliia has left Kyiv and is heading west

On Sunday Max sent this voicemail from a shelter in Poltava

Every attack is personal for Nina as she worries about the people she knows in the towns and cities being bombarded

Oleksandr gets some good news about his family

Nina is frustrated at the spread of Russian propaganda

Serhii has an update from his shelter in Lviv

Oleksandr describes the final night he spent with his wife before she left the country

In her first voicemail Daria describes what the first week of the invasion has been like in Kyiv

Mariia reflects on how a week of war has changed her

Oleksandr explains how the war is affecting his family

Naliia is thinking about her friends in the city of Kharkiv, which is being bombarded by Russian forces

Nina reflects on how her life has changed

Max is near the market in Poltava, where he says some food is running low

Oleksandr explains how his teenage son’s friends are helping the war effort

Mariia is finding that the days are all blurring into one

After escaping to Poland, Kseniya feels a sense of guilt about leaving Ukraine

Naliia struggles to process seeing Russian attacks on civilian areas

This is Mykola’s first voicemail. He’s in his 30s and works in education in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv

In his first voicemail Oleksandr from Dnipro tries to find joy in the little things in life – caviar