Death came suddenly from a clear blue sky, as it often does now in Ukraine. In August, a Russian rocket slammed to earth killing two young women as they sat on a bench in a playground, in the shadow of a church.
Their names were Kristina Spitsyna and Svitlana Siemieikina, and they are among the more than 10,000 civilians who have lost their lives since Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022.
The UN believes the actual number of men, women and children who have been killed is “considerably higher”.
Russia’s war in Ukraine is now a constant. The horror has become familiar. Many deaths are not reported in detail, but we wanted to tell the story of the lives, and last moments, of just two of those killed.
When the breeze whispers in the trees, Halyna Spitsyna feels it is the presence of her daughter, Kristina. “The wind blows, and you think this is the soul of your child, hugging you,” she says.
Then she bends to put yellow chrysanthemums in a vase on Kristina’s grave.
Her daughter – a promising young singer – took her last breath in August, together with her best friend Svitlana. They are buried side by side at the edge of an overgrown cemetery.
The twin graves are a blaze of colour, stacked with wreaths, and topped with blue-and-yellow Ukrainian flags. The graves stand out – as if calling attention to the youth and talent that have been taken.
Kristina and Svitlana came together in wartime, bonding over a love of music and a love of Ukraine. They formed a duo called Similar Girls. They sang at weddings, and live-streamed street concerts to their Telegram channel, raising money for soldiers and civilians alike.
On 9 August they were singing outside a supermarket on a busy street in their hometown of Zaporizhzhia – Svitlana, 18, on guitar, and Kristina, 21, on vocals.
Their performance was recorded on a phone. It is haunting to watch.
