I first met Sofi, a 26-year-old lawyer, in the early summer of 2022, a few months after Russia invaded Ukraine. At the time, she was volunteering as an interpreter, helping evacuate civilians from front-line communities, delivering medical supplies and then getting food to those in need in collaboration with World Central Kitchen.
She came to Regina, Saskatchewan, for a year until this spring. Like many newcomers, it was nearly impossible for her to find work.
She sent me a video of the sounds of the war happening around her in her home city of Zaporizhia, which has over 700,000 people.
On the first night, Russia sent glide bombs into residential buildings, injuring 22. On this night, Iranian shahed drones and missiles destroyed critical infrastructure and hit a residential area, resulting in one death and 5 injured, including two children.
A bit of a like-minded foodie, she sent me photos a week ago from a dinner she had with a friend. The restaurant where they reconnected only days ago has now been destroyed.
In part of the audio,, you can hear her new kittens purring loudly, keeping her company while the bombs fly.
With her permission, I interviewed her while her city was under attack.
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