by Michela Proietti
He was supposed to attend Paris Fashion Week. “Instead, I decided to stay in Lviv and learn how to use weapons. I’m not afraid of a gun, intruders scare me”
Maria Kozij is 33 years old, she is Ukrainian and a model by profession. Until recently, her work has taken her everywhere: Paris, Milan, the whole world, as she writes on her Instagram profile, which tells of a recent past full of catwalks and photo shoots. Now she lives in Lviv, 70 kilometers from Poland: unlike others, she decided to stay and not flee. “A lot of women with young children do this and I think it’s a wise decision. But I want to help people who need me,” he says on the phone, on the way from his home to the school, which has now become both a sanctuary and a training ground for citizens who want to resist and fight.
The “trainer” for the Kalashnikov
The fear, not only of bombs, is his new life partner. “Every day I learn how to use the Kalashnikov here, a trainer tells me how to do it,” he says. Her “trainer is a former Finnish soldier who came to Ukraine to help the resistance: since February 24, the day Maria wanted to become an activist, he has been teaching her to use the machine gun to attack herself to be able to defend in case of an attack. “I’m a peaceful person, I don’t even eat food that comes from killed organisms. But if someone attacks me, my family and my friends, I’m ready to defend myself,” explains Maria. It was supposed to be at Paris Fashion Week in March, but there was a more important date for her: “Defending my people”. When he picks up the Kalashnikov, he has one thought in mind: never have to use it, never need it. “That would mean I have to defend myself or someone close to me. I’m not afraid to use a gun, I’m afraid of the Russians and what can happen to a woman in a country at war ».
From catwalks to weapons
Her modeling career began at the age of 14 in Ukraine: after studying art and journalism, she began to travel the world. “Since I was 24 I have walked the catwalks of Milan and Paris and I want to do it again, I have several appointments on the calendar: but I will only do it when we have won, we are free and I have given my contribution to the restart of culture, economy, art and music. Before the war I was a member of the organizing committee of the LvivMozart organized by Oksana Lyniv ». She says that more and more women go to school every day to learn how to defend themselves and, just like her, is getting acquainted with weapons.”The day before yesterday we received a woman who arrived with a baby of only 5 months, and my sister, who is 20 years old, also started training. We are excited that we can learn to defend ourselves: today there are many women who fight just as bravely as men ».
projects for the future
His life, made up of social events and showrooms, has changed radically today: first there were the shoots for Charme de la Mode, his Parisian agency, and those for Industria Models, the Milanese. Today there is training, the constant search for a safe haven and the fear of being hit. None of those close to her were killed, but the echoes of children, pregnant women and defenseless people overwhelmed by the conflict reach her. «But I never thought that I would die: I have too much to do, I want to help rebuild my country, which the Russians destroyed with bombs and lies. What we have learned is that we must be strong not only to withstand this war, but to ensure there is never another war. We can only do this by rebuilding our schools and spreading the culture of peace in the new generations ».
March 26, 2022 (Modification March 26, 2022 | 08:53)
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