Artem and Anastasia Bykovets are a couple who had resided in their home in the suburbs of Kyiv, Ukraine. They have two daughters: Sasha and Sofia, who are 2 and 6 years old, respectively. However, Russian fighter jets recently began flying over their house, spontaneously bombing the country they had all previously called home. Staying put was evidently not an option. These parents told their children that there was no choice but to flee. Sasha and Sofia were told to gather three of their favourite toys before they would leave and seek refuge in a safer country.
Though barely older than a toddler, Sofia was well-aware that the world she had known was under turmoil and chaos. Terrified and teary-eyed, she gathered her things, bade her room goodbye, and left it while crying the whole time. The family went into their car, and Sofia’s parents attempted to console her with soft words without sparing the honesty of the tragic situation of the war at hand. Sofia quickly found herself needing to find an outlet to channel her sorrow and anxiety.
This outlet manifested into using art to cope with her emotions. Sofia began to actively paint. Initially, it was on craft bags and napkins, but she quickly transferred to more digitized platforms on tablets and cell phones. Artem and Anastasia realized that art had a cathartic power; when Sofia painted, she was too distracted to feel distressed. They realized that art therapy would be beneficial to other children like Sofia.
Many Ukrainian children are currently spending time hiding in basements and bomb shelters as opposed to playgrounds. Since they are young, they’re unable to verbalize their feelings. They’re disturbed by the disruption in their routine and the terrors of war. The uncertainties felt by their parents perturb them as well, as there is no authority figure that can guide them through the dangerous volatility of their situation.
Prompted by these truths and their own anecdotal evidence through watching Sofia, Artem and Anastasia quickly founded UAkids.today. It’s a platform that aims to help Ukrainians by tending to their psychological and emotional needs. Their emphasis is on the well-being of children. They’re currently launching an all-Ukrainian online gallery of children’s drawings. These drawings are meant to show how children feel about war, exposing these insights to an international audience.
These drawings also empower children. Not only are they able to distract and cope with their experiences through the power of creativity, but they’re also able to be vulnerable with themselves in a healthy way. By sharing their art on the platform, they’re also able to be a part of a community and have a sense that they’re partaking in something greater than themselves. It’s a way to take back power in circumstances that can make a person feel utterly powerless.
A scroll through the gallery is an insightful look into the perspectives of children. Adults often overlook the intelligence and observant attitudes of young children, and UAkids.today’s gallery is proof that Ukrainian children fully comprehend how war affects civilians. Many drawings are of peace symbols or of images that evoke peaceful messages: doves holding olive branches, families in silhouettes united by hand-holding, a butterfly with the Ukrainian coat-of-arms drawn on one of its wings.
Conversely, many images are also violent depictions or depictions of reactions to violence. Drawings of this category include soldiers with guns, war tanks, and stick figures firing bullets. They also include drawings of bloodshed, individuals crying, and heart symbols broken down the center with jagged edges. Regardless of the nature of the artistic depiction, they are all raw exposures to how these Ukrainian children are coping with war.
The UAkids.today site also has a donation page for those who want to help Ukrainian families. Donations also go towards the Ukrainian Armed Forces. There is also a tab labeled “Submit A Picture” on the upper-right side of the website where children’s artworks can be submitted. The channel also features other child support initiatives, including an Instagram channel with art challenges and advice from psychotherapists, as well as a Telegram channel with art lessons for
young children.
This initiative is demonstrative of how human tenacity prevails even in circumstances as grim as wartime. It also does this without obscuring reality. This honesty is what makes it compelling. Consider supporting these children, so that they can one day draw solely for the purpose of art, and not for the sake of preserving their sanity in a time of instability.
