A warrior poet shares her views on the Russia-Ukraine war

Résumé détaillé

There are currently more than two million Ukrainian veterans of the war, and the number continues to grow. Yaryna Chornohuz knows the reality of what they are experiencing. She is a Ukrainian poet, UAV operator, and sergeant in Ukrainian Marine Corps.

Editor's note: this story was translated from the original VOA Ukrainian article.

The war in Ukraine has been going on for well over four years, with U.S., Ukrainian, and Russian negotiators meeting this week to find a way to end the conflict.

There are currently more than two million Ukrainian veterans of the war, and the number continues to grow.

Yaryna Chornohuz knows the reality of what they are experiencing. She is a Ukrainian poet, UAV operator, and sergeant in Ukrainian Marine Corps.

VOA spoke to her during her current tour of the United States, where she is talking about the war and reading some of her poetry, much of it written about the struggles of Ukraine's military.

Chornohuz says Ukrainian soldiers are “tired and exhausted, especially those of us constantly on the front lines without any rotation." She and her husband served seven and nine years in the Ukrainian Armed Forces, respectively.

“Yet, at the same time, we all know that we have fought for and earned the right to have a voice," she says. "We live, after all, in freedom - even on the front line, even in a war of attrition.”

"They are the ones capable of building the nation-unburdened by the legacy of corruption or a focus on personal gain and instead driven by a commitment to the common good," Chornohuz tells VOA.

The poet also spoke about the current debate over female conscription. She says it's not currently being considered but, "in a war of this scale, regardless of whether or not there is a formal mobilization of women, it is essential to prepare everyone so that, if necessary, they can become soldiers."

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