‘Voices of Ukraine’ – Helgi Steinar Gunnlaugsson

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Register at: https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.eventbrite.co.uk%2Fe%2Fvoices-of-ukraine-tickets-538783916197&data=05%7C01%7CE.L.Ryland%40Swansea.ac.uk%7C3c812f9827064f4a870e08db

Dyniaethau a'r Gwyddorau Cymdeithasol - Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences

From: 23 Feb 2023, 5 p.m.
To: 23 Feb 2023, 6:30 p.m.
Location: Taliesin Arts Centre, Swansea University, Singleton Park, SA2 8PZ, Swansea

On the 23 Feb at 5pm in Taliesin Studio we hope you will join us in marking the first anniversary of the invasion of the Ukraine with visiting speaker Helgi Steinar Gunnlaugsson, an Icelandic journalist who filmed a documentary in the country just prior to the invasion. Helgi will talk about the events of the last year via the lives of four eastern-Ukrainians he met and interviewed.  

Two months before the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Helgi Steinar was tasked by Uppkast (Iceland‘s version of Netflix) with visiting Ukraine to produce Iceland‘s first ever documentary on the country and more specifically the war in Donbas. After conducting a media tour of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power plant facility (and even performing a comedy show in Kyiv) Helgi undertook a 14-hour train ride to the once great city of Mariupol.  

His work in eastern Ukraine brought him to the front lines of the post-2014 fighting between the Ukrainian army and the Russian-backed separatists of the Donetsk People‘s Republic. He toured bombed out buildings and spoke with residents in the towns of Mar‘inka and Krasnohorivka, located just 3 miles from Donetsk.  

Helgi will tell the story of eastern-Ukraine through the eyes of four individuals he interviewed. The talk will focus entirely on the lives of the people on the ground and what they thought on the eve of the war and what they have had to go through as a result of it. 

Oleg Tkachenko: Father of seven and bakery owner in the small town of Mar‘inka. A man who didn‘t possess strong political opinions and hoped that a peaceful solution could be found. 

Head priest in the town Krasnohorivka: Still preaching in a shelled-out church and has given shelter to children and families that have lost their homes and loved ones during the war. 

Oleksii Pyrikov: Environmental specialist for the United Nations who was forced to leave Donbas when the first war broke out. He used to work as a teacher in Donetsk but the university he worked at was forced to be relocated to Krivoy Rog.  

Yuliya Scorobohata: Former resident of Zaporizhzhia who was forced to flee with her husband when the invading forces threatened to attack the nuclear power plant. She now lives with her family in Lviv where she copes with periodic blackouts and rocket attacks.  


We very much hope you can join us for this event (In-person or online) which is being organised by the Department of Politics, Philosophy and International Relations.



Event created by: e.l.ryland