Fleeing Ukraine: A Long Waking Nightmare

Editor’s note: As part of our coverage of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Adweek has been reaching out to creative professionals who remain in the country. Slava Denys, creative director for Cheil Ukraine and citizen of Kyiv, shared the following dispatch with BBDO executive vice president Matt MacDonald and gave permission to share broadly. This piece has been edited for formatting and clarity. We did not take the war seriously. We did not check shelters, pack suitcases or collect food. We could not believe that Kyiv could be attacked with ballistic missiles. I attended a friend’s party one day before it started. Feb. 23 in Russia was Red Army Day, a popular holiday from Soviet Union times when men were called the Motherland’s guards and women gave them presents like socks or cheap perfume. In the evening, I read on BBC that Americans predicted a Russian attack within 48 hours. I packed stuff like for a short trip: one pair of jeans, socks, lingerie, a sweater, a power bank, two tuna cans, chocolate, a piece of bread, some Ukrainian money and our documents. I felt nervous. Feb. 24 at 5:40 a.m., I received a telephone call from my sister. She heard the sound of an explosion and her house was shaken. I saw on TV that Kharkiv and some Ukrainian cities including Kyiv were bombed. I saw that the TV tower in Kharkiv was on fire. We decided to leave Kyiv. I woke up my daughter. We left our home with a suitcase and our cat. I had a surrealistic feeling that day. I did not believe it happened. I felt like I was in a bad dream or a computer game. We went to the village, 40 kilometers from Kyiv, by car. We wanted to be out of the city and wait for a couple of days to see what was going on. The night was scary. We heard the regular sounds of the airplanes in the sky. The next day, we realized that we were very close to the military airport in Vasylkiv. This airport was bombed with missiles on the first day of escalation. We slept prepared to run to the shelter. I remember the heavy sounds of military planes flying very close to us. I woke up during the night and read on BBC that a big Russian IL airplane with soldiers on it was downed by Ukrainian forces. We were scared that the Russians would fire missiles here again. In the morning, we left for western Ukraine. On that same day, the air base in Vasylkiv exploded. We reached western Ukrainian city Ternopil and stayed with one Ukrainian family in their house. Even here, far from Kyiv, people were scared. The news from Kyiv and Kharkiv—as well as from Hostomel, Bucha and Irpin, towns north of Kyiv, close to the Belorussian border—was horrifying. Kyiv was constantly bombed. People slept in the shelters. In a couple of days, the fights started. There were tanks, missiles destroying houses, soldiers and bandits of all kinds in every district of Kyiv. Buildings were burning. The flashes from explosions were everywhere. There were dead people on the streets. I bought bus tickets and we went to Warsaw with my daughter and our cat. We were lucky to reach Poland quickly and were welcomed by our friends. The next day, I received information that almost half a million Ukrainians crossed the western border in less than one week. I had a constant feeling that it was not real: It was a nightmare. In Poland, I was afraid of all sounds that reminded me of the airplane noises. I could not believe that there were smiling people going shopping and listening to music. I also read from many sources that Russian people did not believe it was a war. I saw on Instagram that many Russians discussed fashion, literature and food. It was shocking. My biggest impression now is that Kyiv people do not complain. They sleep in the shelters with shortages of food and rest, they are tortured by bombings and explosions, but they write on social media that Ukraine will win and (Russian President Vladimir) Putin has already lost. And it makes me cry because I understand that they are trapped in a horrible situation with an uncertain ending. Many of them will not leave Kyiv consciously. They stay even having little children. Now I know who the real heroes of our time are. Slava Denys

Ukraine

Fleeing Ukraine: A Long Waking Nightmare

Cheil Ukraine creative director Slava Denys shares her experiences

David Cohen

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David Cohen