I am originally from Ukraine. In the 1990s, I changed my profession (becoming a film and TV producer) and emigrated to the United States. When I learned about the war in my homeland, I couldn’t stay on the sidelines.

In November 2022, I decided to see everything with my own eyes. After a month-long trip across Ukraine, I created a documentary film titled War in Ukraine: a view from inside. 

I lived through several powerful missile strikes and drone attacks, visited newly liberated Kherson, saw President Zelenskyy, met with my friends who had turned their basements into shelters, and listened to stories from volunteers, teachers, firefighters, and ordinary people.

Seeing what the occupiers are doing to the cities close to my heart—familiar places and people—is devastating.