Tetiana Kudrytska
Intellectual Property Attorney, Partner at AEQUO, Kyiv, Ukraine
“Our lives will never be the same. The war divided everything into “before” and “after”. But what remains unchanged: Ukraine will always stand for the values of freedom, democracy and peace.”
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Just imagine: you are living all your life in one of the most beautiful cities in the heart of Europe, Kyiv; you have your beloved family and work. Your little, almost 2-year old son, Luka is growing and making his fist discoveries. Despite tough workload, every morning you are hurrying to work – the most interesting work at one of the top law firms in Ukraine. You are preparing to court sessions, meetings, workshops… and …
At the border with Poland. Thousands of Ukrainians are fleeing from war
Before the war, with my colleague Dmytro Koroza celebrating victory at the Supreme Court. Currently Dmytro serves in the army at the eastern part of Ukraine
Tired. But finally crossed the border.
One morning you and your family wake up to the explosions of shells. In Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine. Firstly, you cannot believe in what is happening - in XXI century another “country” just decided to destroy (in all possible meanings) all Ukrainians, just because they are Ukrainians.
In a couple of hours, after contacting all colleagues at your team (always trying to demonstrate calm and confidence), you should make the most difficult decisions in your life. Just because you are not only a lawyer, a partner at law firm, but first of all, - a mom. You are taking your small son, laptop and backpack with some clothes and other essentials, and running away. Firstly, from your hometown; in a week – from Ukraine…
“Now, I know for sure that it is possible to put your whole life in one suitcase. What is impossible – to “unpack” your whole life from this suitcase in another country; no matter how friendly and peaceful it is.”
Currently, me and my son found shelter in Poland. In March we stayed for two weeks in Warsaw; then, we were forced to return with Luka to Ukraine, to Lviv (despite air and other attacks from Russia), - for urgent medical examinations, which Luka was unable to go through in Poland. Thereafter, we once again arrived at Poland and travelled to Gdansk. I’m very thankful to Poland and the Polish people for their care and warm welcome. This is unbelievable.
From the very beginning of the war, me and my colleagues at Aequo keep working remotely and responding to numerous clients’ requests. We strongly believe that it is important to keep working, supporting the economy and army of Ukraine, paying taxes, etc. After spending some time in bomb shelters hiding from Russian bombs, now most of our employees are relocated. But everyone hopes to return to Kyiv, to our homes, to our office…as soon as possible.
Luka is sleeping at bomb shelter
Our lives will never be the same. The war divided everything into “before” and “after”. But what remains unchanged: Ukraine will always stand for the values of freedom, democracy and peace.
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Disclaimer: The views and opinions above are held and expressed by our volunteer storytellers alone. At Brand Action, we are grateful for our volunteers' bravery and willingness to share their experiences on our platform. With consent from our volunteers, some of the stories have been translated or edited for brevity. It is our goal to accurately communicate their messages so that you may understand their challenges and triumphs.
