This is the scene Ukrainian photographer Valeria Shashenok sees every day as she walks down the street in war-torn Chernihiv, Ukraine. Shashenok takes refuge in an underground bunker with his mother, father and dog Tori in a city in northern Ukraine. Her close friends have already fled.
But instead of wallowing in the devastation around her, Shashenok turned war into an art.
Shashenok uses TikTok to document his daily life. Her videos have gone viral, with some reaching millions of views.
In the video that made her famous, Shashenok dances to “Che la Luna” with the caption “My typical day in a bomb shelter.” She uses the heat gun as a hair dryer when her dog hides under the covers. Her mother cooks in a pot on the floor.
In another video, Shashenok stands in front of a pile of rubble. The caption reads: “Today Putin destroyed one of the old buildings in my city. It was a cinema that survived World War II.” Then he shows large windows nearby, the glass is broken on the ground. “Windows in neighboring houses also flew out from the force of the blow.”
In yet another, she shows bare grocery store shelves with the caption: “If you want to buy groceries at the supermarket during the war in Ukraine.”
Asked by CNN’s Pamela Brown on Sunday why she started posting these videos on Tik Tok, Shashenok said: “I feel like my mission is to show people what it looks like in real life. This is real life and I’m here.”
She continued: “Many Russians write to me that we are with you … There is a lot of fake news in Russia. And most people don’t believe that there is a war going on in my country… .. My mission is to show (the whole) world that this is happening now in real life, and now you can see (this) war (c) in Tik Tok.
On Sunday, Tik Tok announced it would suspend some features in Russia in light of the country’s new “fake news” law, which penalizes misinformation. But even with the growing fame, Shashenok worries about the fate of his country. “Every day I live with the hope that the war will end tomorrow, but things only get worse.” Shashenok wrote on CNN’s “Meanwhile in America” on Sunday. On Monday, she wrote to CNN: “Everyone fears (for) their lives.”
In recent days, hopes of opening safe corridors for the evacuation of civilians from a number of cities, including Chernihiv, have repeatedly failed, with Ukraine accusing Russia of attacking on the escape route.
Like many people in Ukraine, the Shashenok family is hesitant to leave as evidence of Russian violence against Ukrainian civilians grows. Asked by CNN on Monday if she and her family would try to flee during the planned ceasefire, Shashenok replied: “If Russian troops don’t kill civilians tomorrow, yes, I will go on March 9.” When asked again on Tuesday, Shashenok replied that her family had no plans to leave the bunker yet.
Even despite the fear of violence from Russia, Shashenok still dreams of many things. On Monday, she told CNN that Tik Tok is now her future.
“Maybe I (can) come to the United States and work as a Tik Tok journalist,” she said.
Hope for a new life and a new beginning – that’s what keeps Shashenka. “People should value freedom. It’s the most important thing we have.”