The large-scale invasion of Russian forces, which began on February 24, 2022, became not only an existential challenge for Ukraine (and the rest of the free world as well), but also the bloodiest war on the European continent since 1945. Drawing numerous parallels with past wars, this stage of the Russo-Ukrainian war also acquired several unique features. In particular, new types of weaponry emerged on the battlefield, with drones playing a prominent role. Technological progress allows external observers to follow events online, almost in real time, and document them from hundreds or even thousands of kilometers away. Modern methods of information preservation and dissemination make this one of the most thoroughly filmed wars in history.
However, with the emergence of new information carriers, which may serve as sources for future historical research, the relevance of older forms of documentation remains undiminished. In a situation where using gadgets is fraught with high risk, particularly under occupation, Ukrainians often turned to documenting their lives, including through keeping diaries.
The diary entries of Olha Volodymyrivna Shevchenko, a resident of Blahodatne in the Chornobayivska community of Kherson district (formerly known as Petrivske in the Bilozerka district before de-communization and district consolidation), were written during the occupation in the spring of 2022. The village is located at the border between Kherson and Mykolaiv regions and was situated on the front line for nine months.
Olha Shevchenko, a former teacher of foreign literature in Blahodatne, was born in the village of Chornomorske in the Holoprystanskyi district of Kherson region. She had lived in Blahodatne since the late 1980s. She began writing her diary in the last section of her work notebook (to hide it among work notes) on March 30, 2022.
. The diary is written in a vivid language, with humor and optimism, tinged with moments of despair and hope for liberation. On May 22, 2022, on her birthday, Olha made the last entry before the tragedy that befell her: on May 25, 2022, an air bomb hit her house. Miraculously, her mother survived, but Olha was injured in the leg. Villagers took her to a hospital in the city of Kherson, where she received necessary treatment (if they had arrived an hour later, her leg would have had to be amputated). On July 3, 2022, she made the final entry in Kherson, describing the events of May 25, 2022.
In July 2023, Olha Volodymyrivna gave an interview for the Kherson media platform "Vhoru," where she spoke about the diary she had kept during the occupation, which she had not shared until that day.
After this publication, Senior Researcher of the War Museum, Roman Kabachii, suggested that Olha transfer the diary to the Museum. A few days later, Olha agreed on the condition that she would retype the diary in electronic form for herself. On August 1, 2023, Olha Shevchenko made an entry explaining the diary and added several more stories. On August 4, 2023, her diary was delivered to the Museum. This artifact is a vivid testimony of a person living in an informational vacuum, where rumors begin to prevail and encourage people to make rash decisions.