America House Community Stories: Yuliia
War can change our lives entirely. Yuliia Tymoshenko has changed a job, she has been internally displaced, her family spent three and a half weeks under russian occupation. But one thing remains the same. She keeps working on an information front and spreading the truth using her blog.
Yuliia is an influencer, who fights on the information front, spreading the word about Ukraine among foreign audience.
Now quality is more essential for us than quantity. We should control what narratives are broadcast abroad and what topics we raise.
How mentally and physically were you prepared for a full-scale invasion? Did you have a plan of action?
I wasn't ready mentally, but I felt something like this could start. I was feeling anxious a month before that. Many of my friends live abroad, and I often consume news from abroad. From there, the first alarming reports and different analytical articles came from. It was relatively quiet in our press. Some things were only said later. This stressed me a little, but I refused to pack my emergency bag anyway. It seemed that if I start collecting it, this is already a kind of recognition that 99.9% war will begin. That's why I didn't do it and regretted it very much.
What were you doing during the first months of war?
From the very beginning, I was in a huge shock. I had a job, and I worked in a consulting company at the time. The company allowed us not to work for a month with the preservation of salary. I know that some people, on the contrary, want to work more to distract. Mentally I just could not. It was challenging; I can't imagine how that work could have been done. I wanted to do something more volunteer-like, to do something that helps directly, or to work on the information front. When my friends and I were internally displaced in the Ternopil region, we wove nets. But it was pretty local. I can't say it was a big deal. However, it was great to get away and not be on social media 24/7 because I was spending so much time absorbing that information. For me, one of the main activities was the information front and working with my blog on Instagram, communicating with the media. I have a large foreign audience, and I noticed that foreigners have a need to follow Ukrainians, who will talk about the war from their experience and tell it in English. We really don't have many of them. These are a few, maybe less than a dozen, pages on Instagram that I know. That's why it was such a significant job for me. I was spreading the word out there and communicating with people who have written to me and asked how they could help, spread the information, and where to find it. And, as I already said, communication with the media. There were a lot of requests from foreign journalists on various topics. All these activities gave me the feeling that I was doing something.
On the 100th day of the war, a report was published which said that mentions of Ukraine in the media decreased by 22 times. Do you think it is possible to influence this and fight against it, considering how algorithms are currently hiding photos and videos from Ukraine?
I think there is no need to be upset about this. Many people get upset and believe that everything is lost. In fact, this is normal, and this should have been expected before. The invasion shocked the whole world, which was very strange to me as if we had not lived in the war for 8 years before that. But maybe it was a good thing at the time because it attracted a lot of attention in a short time. But this is a natural trend, unfortunately.
I understand that they would rather pay attention to some other events, especially the American media. They have many problems of their own now. We need to maintain some stable regularity of speaking out. Now quality is more essential for us than quantity. We should control what narratives are broadcast abroad and what topics we raise. Those who work on the information front or actively try to talk about Ukraine abroad need to draw attention to different issues and somehow control these narratives, write answers, and destroy myths. I believe such a constant activity is much more critical for us in the long term than having such short-term spikes.
What is the most useful that Ukrainians here and abroad can do to help the Armed Forces?
I think it's everyone's responsibility to spread the word about donations at least a few times a week. Well, and donate yourself, of course. But also to share the information. It is okay to show your everyday life, to tell something personal, not related to the war, on your social media. There is nothing wrong with that. But it's essential to have regularity with how you talk about the war until it is over and maybe for some time later. We will definitely have a lot of work afterward. I understand that it is also difficult for foreigners to perceive such an amount of information simultaneously. However, many still want to support Ukraine and educate themselves on this topic. Therefore, we need to keep talking about it. It's okay to talk about your life too, but don't forget to spread the word about the war, especially when there are significant bombings or tragedies. It is necessary to shout about them to the whole world.
What has changed the most in your life since the beginning of the invasion?
My job. I left consulting. I am working on two projects now that intersect with the war and helping Ukraine. The first one is a Canadian brand called St. Javelin. They are very cool because they will contribute to various needs in Ukraine. Since they are a startup and a commercial project, they have the freedom to choose whom to contribute. They do not have the same restrictions as Western humanitarian organizations, which receive millions of donations, but can only spend on humanitarian aid. This is cool, but we need weapons for the Armed Forces. The second job is the English-language version of Ukraїner. As a chief editor, I develop different topics and content and edit what is currently available. Going from consulting in two completely different directions was a significant change for me. Well, of course, my page and blog on Instagram changed too. Before the war, there was much less attention to this. Now I feel responsible for my platform, and what I broadcast there, so this is also a big change.
How do you see the development of your blog after the victory?
I don't think it will change very much, because we'll still have a lot of work to do after the victory. It will also be necessary to continue sharing information and fresh perspective on Ukraine abroad. I will always try to do this regardless of the situation in Ukraine. I have always had such a vision that presenting Ukraine in my blog is something that I consider extremely important. Of course, there will be many other personal things that will happen in my life, which I will consider essential to raise. Still, Ukraine will always be the key among them.
What was the happiest moment that happened to you during this time?
There were two moments. I launched two fundraising campaigns on my page. The first one was humanitarian help for a boy from a neighboring village in the Kyiv region. It was occupied, just like my village. My father, grandfather, and grandmother were under occupation in the Kyiv region for 3 and a half weeks. I read an article about this boy in the Wall Street Journal. I understood that this was a village where people knew me, where I had relatives. I found the phone number of his guardian, who was his aunt, and asked if he needed any specific help. His family had been shot by the russians when they entered the village. It hurt me a lot. When I started the fundraising, our goal was about 3 or 4 thousand dollars. We needed funds for the reconstruction of the house, partially destroyed due to shelling, and for the needs of the boy himself and the family because the situation there was quite difficult. And in less than 24 hours, we collected 7 thousand dollars. One donation was 3 thousand dollars, which shocked me because I didn't know this person at all. Then I found out who it was. They wrote to me. But still, this was a huge shock for me. I was thrilled. It was such a great feeling that people were so supportive. People keep saying that foreign support has stopped, that people no longer donate much. But I didn't notice that.
The second fundraising campaign I did was relatively recent, just a few weeks ago. It was for a car for the Armed Forces. It was for my dad's friend, with whom he studied at university. My father asked me to help because he and his friends wanted to get money somewhere. I realized that maybe I could collect some money with my platform. I was actually a bit scared, well, not scared, but I hesitated whether to collect. I knew that many foreigners didn't want to donate to the army. They contribute more to humanitarian needs. I couldn't how different this fundraising will be and how actively will people donate to the military. Our goal was 2 or 3 thousand dollars. I tried to set a small goal, so I wouldn't be disappointed later. In literally 24 hours, we collected more than 6 thousand dollars. It seems the largest donation was 2 thousand dollars, but all the other 4 were minimal donations, and it was nice to see that. People supported us from all over the world. Those were the happiest moments for me.
How do you support yourself and your loved ones?
That's an excellent question. Just during that week, when I was fundraising for a car about two weeks ago, I realized that I was mentally exhausted. I absolutely haven't had a break from the news or my projects. They are both directly related to the war, and I constantly think about it at work. I do marketing on one project, but I still have a lot of social campaigns; we are trying to come up with ideas to help Ukraine. Another project is working with media, topics, and information war. I consume a lot of information. Then, I worked on my blog in my free time (I considered it free). I also realized that in the last 2 months, I probably didn't allow myself to read any books that weren't about the war. At home, I found a book called "Frames of War" by Judith Butler. She is a famous American philosopher who thinks about whose life is worth saving and whose life is not. She gives a lot of examples of wars, for instance, in the Middle East. And I thought, damn, why did I take this book out of all the books I could read? Some moments I really spent for myself were quality times with friends and family. At some point, I didn't feel good mentally because I was putting a lot of energy into everything related to the war, consuming a lot of information and content, and it started to exhaust me a lot. But last week I went on a trip abroad because I wanted to fulfil my dream and go to a Harry Styles concert, I had planned before the war. I finally took a break from work, and I think it was the first time when I mentally rested. I was in a new environment; I was distracted. Of course, I did not forget everything happening in Ukraine, but I felt a little relieved.
Regarding the family, I don't think mental health is a common topic to discuss in my family, which is bad. Of course, I try to communicate with them regularly. It helps them. I also try to support their specific requests when I can.
What do you dream of doing immediately after we win?
I don't really think that far. I have heard this question many times and find it a good one in creating hope for people. However, I have a very pragmatic vision of the fact that I understand that this war can last for a very long time. Unfortunately, even if it stops in some form, the russian aggression will not disappear for a long time. I don't set these goals for myself after the victory. I believe that if there is an opportunity to make one of your dreams come true, then you should do it now. Just like I did with the Harry Styles show. I understand that not everyone can go abroad or fulfil their dream because it is somehow impossible during the war. Therefore, it seems to me that it is better to find little dreams that can be fulfilled during the war. Just think about what you can do now, before the victory. Even if it doesn't involve helping the military, it's still okay to do something for yourself. Therefore, I do not have a specific answer but a more philosophical vision for this question.
AH Community Stories is a series of interviews where we tell about our friends and their stories of bravery and resilience.