STORY 5 - Savosta
"I learned from Yuliia that it is discontent that keeps us trapped in the past and fear that steals our future. The present is all we have and we are morally obliged to live it as beautifully as we can, moment by moment."
I didn't know what to expect - Savosta was the first "Face of Courage" I had encountered. I had read her responses to a few pre-submitted questions, but I hadn't formed any mental image to connect with the information. I knew she was from Kyiv, a wife, and a mother. Before the fateful day of February 24, 2022, she had worked in the pharmaceutical field.
In the room, a reserved and beautiful young woman waited. Direct yet somewhat shy, without unnecessary words or gestures, she walked me through her reality of the past few years. And then, slowly, despite the horrors she narrated, she began to smile at me - perhaps responding to the smile I forced myself to display, not letting sorrow settle between us. From Savosta, I learned that dissatisfaction keeps us imprisoned in the past, and fear steals our future. That the present is all we have, and we are morally obligated to live it as beautifully as we can, moment by moment.
Dedicated and courageous, she has traveled to areas in the midst of violent conflicts affecting Ukraine following the Russian invasion of February 2022, providing aid but, more importantly, hope. A mother of two daughters aged six and eight, Savosta felt the desire in her heart to do more. As the world she had built and lived in crumbled around her, she found the inner strength to volunteer for the charitable foundation "Humanity Ukraine."
"I remember the first explosions and gunfire. It was terrible. I wouldn't want my children or any other children to experience such a thing in the future. That's why I knew I had to help."
She travels hundreds of kilometers each week, delivering assistance to Ukrainian civilians and military personnel - medicines, material goods, but most importantly, a heart full of beauty and kindness. She sets aside any fear and courageously ventures to the front line - where the fiercest battles are fought - because she knows she is needed there. More than once, she has slept in trenches, exhausted. Then she starts anew, because she doesn't want to abandon her mission.
The most challenging moments for her were when she reached Bucha and Borodianka, as part of the first teams to arrive on-site after the massacres. Corpses in the streets, ruins, burned cars, and bombed roads were just the beginning of the nightmare. Gradually, survivors emerged from shelters, traumatized. Among them were abused women and children, men beaten brutally, and many others who had lost family members or friends. Instead of letting the pain overcome her, Savosta found the strength within her to act, to move forward. For these people who need her help, for her daughters, and for all the children of Ukraine, she is determined to do everything in her power - until the end.
Every person Savosta helps becomes a source of strength for her, a force that gives her hope for a better future. With every child she consoles and every woman she supports, she believes that goodness will ultimately triumph; that victory is approaching.
Liza and Kira, her daughters, are safe. She visits them weekly and tries to spend quality time with them. They take walks, read stories, and share a lot, leaving the horrors of war behind, at least for a few hours. Then her reality returns to the sad reality of Ukrainians - the war they were dragged into without wanting it but forced to defend their country. Yet, Savosta chooses the difficult path, hoping that goodness will prevail. Neither the battles nor the terrible news have frightened her. Not even when she learned that two of her colleagues transporting aid were killed did she stop. She mourned them but did not stop.
"Before the war, each of us had a different definition of happiness. Some saw happiness as financial success or having meaningful relationships. Others dreamed of fame in order to be happy. Today, for every Ukrainian, happiness means one thing: victory!"
Savosta represents the face of every woman, every mother in Ukraine. She wants to be a voice for those no one hears, for those who suffer, for those innocent who were killed simply because they wanted to defend their families and homes. She wants Europe not to forget that they, the brave Ukrainians, are not only defending their own country against an invader but also defending the idea of freedom and sovereignty for every nation.