War Coffee: Ukrainian Woman's 'Twitter War Diary' Reflects On Vagaries Of Life Under Siege

Four weeks into the Russian invasion of Ukraine, social media has been flooded with instances of ordinary people showing courage, kindness and compassion in the face of war. While Russian media has been consistently portraying an allegedly skewed version of the situation, Ukrainians have been taking to social media to express how war has become the new normal. The latest is a Ukrainian mom whose updates about her 'war coffee' are making millions realise the heartbreaking impact of war on ordinary lives. 

Mother of two daughters who recently moved abroad (as per her updates) Yaroslava Antipina's Twitter account has over 99k followers. Tweeting under the handle @strastegywoman, Antipina tweets about her day-to-day life in Ukraine, which is currently under attack from Russia. Her recent tweet showed the view of a sleepy neighbourhood from her window. "7:34 am in #Ukraine Sunny & frosty morning. Having my war coffee. Reading news. It seems as I’m a person in “Groundhog Day”. By the way, it was one of the last films I watched (rewatched) in “that” life. In “this” life I haven’t seen any film yet. Good morning, world," she tweeted. 

The post is one of many that she has made over the past four weeks, documenting her life as an ordinary citizen living in a country that was suddenly changed by war. 

Through her Twitter page which she has been calling her 'Twitter War Diary', Antipina has been sharing images of hope and heartbreak, updates of devastation and resistance through artwork. Her tweets give a peek into the life of Ukrainians stuck in the crosshairs of war. 

Recently, she posted about her 'no make up war look'. 

She also posted about the devastation in Mariupol. On Thursday, she tweeted her "dark war stats"

Antipina's posts have got thousands of views, likes and comments. While some carry valuable information and awareness about the true ground realities in Ukraine, others simply reflect her distraught state of mind.

Russian forces struck Ukrainian cities from a distance again on Friday, hitting sites in the capital Kyiv and the country’s west as their ground offensive inched forward under fierce Ukrainian resistance.

The war launched by Russian President Vladimir Putin ground into its fourth week as his troops have failed to take Kyiv — a major objective in their hopes of forcing a settlement or dictating the country’s future political alignments.

Nevertheless, the human cost of the war has been high. The U.N. has recorded at least 596 civilian deaths since Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24, though it believes the true toll is much higher. Millions more have fled their homes, with more than 2.8 million crossing into Poland and other neighbouring countries in what the U.N. has called Europe’s biggest refugee crisis since World War II. 

A pregnant woman who became a symbol of Ukraine’s suffering when she was photographed being carried from a bombed maternity hospital in Mariupol last week has died along with her baby, according to reports. 

(With inputs from Agencies)