«I Didn’t Want to Be a Writer at War. I Wanted to Be a Warrior»

For 25 years, Lesya worked in Ukrainian media, serving as editor-in-chief and manager of several media projects. Since childhood, she has been passionate about yachting, was a sailboat captain, and participated in numerous regattas and sailing expeditions. In 2019, aboard the sailboat Mon Coeur, she crossed the Atlantic Ocean. In 2022, when Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, journalist Lesya Hanzha took up arms for the first time. Since then, she has been a soldier in the Ukrainian army for almost three years. She shares her story.

“I was the project manager of "Access to Truth" and chief editor of the platform "Women Are 50% of Success". Before that, I was a media expert, working in media that wrote about the media market and freedom of speech in Ukraine.

In 2014, when Russia attacked Ukraine, I began independently traveling to front-line settlements as a volunteer and journalist. I wrote reports from the front line. Then I decided that this would be enough for my civic activity. I chose cities like Krasnohorivka, Avdiivka, and Stanytsia Luhanska for my trips. As of now, they are all already occupied by Russia.

When Russia began a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, I went to the military recruitment office with my daughter and journalist colleague. I live in the northern outskirts of Kyiv, and from my window, I could see the direction from which Russians were advancing on the capital. I had a choice: either meet them unarmed as a civilian or find where I could get a weapon and join the Armed Forces. However, the recruitment office did not accept people without a military ID. So, for the first few weeks, my daughter and I were engaged in various volunteer assistance.

Then I learned that there was an additional recruitment for territorial defense. On March 17, 2022, they issued us weapons, and within a few days, we were in Irpin near Kyiv, where the front line was at that time.

Currently, I work as a drone operator, managing unmanned aerial vehicles. They are the workhorses of this war. They are the eyes of our front, providing the lion's share of observation. I underwent special training, but the most important skills are still acquired during combat missions”.

At the end of 2023, my friend and partner Dania was killed. He was a brilliant pilot. I dreamed of having a friend during the war. Because war, among other things, is a feeling of total loneliness. When you get a true partner in war, it's like winning the jackpot.

We were sent to storm near Bakhmut, one of the hottest spots of this war. On the way, the enemy covered us with artillery. One person was wounded, and I was sent to accompany them. And Dania was storming. He was 21 years old. When the war began, Dania was working in Belgium, even planning to stay there - with a good job, a company car, and a social package. He didn't stay. He returned to fight for Ukraine. We fight for Ukraine and simultaneously for ourselves, seeing what the invasion brings with it. What should the reaction be when your homeland is attacked?

If we draw a parallel between a country attacking a country and a person attacking a person, it's clear that a person under attack should resist and distance themselves from the abuser as quickly as possible. And for justice to be ensured, the role of a social regulator that sets clear boundaries and punishment is very important. In cases of a country attacking another country, such a social regulator should be the world community, which says "No, this is unacceptable." And not tell the country being attacked: "Go and somehow negotiate with the one who attacked you.»

Why didn't I continue my journalistic work during the war? From my previous experience, I clearly determined that a journalist during war is often a superfluous and even harmful figure. Superfluous because they won't be shown much anyway. And harmful because if they show something they shouldn't, it could harm other people. In the situation happening to my country, I did not want to be a writer. I wanted to be a warrior. Writing about the war now is not as important to me as our resistance.

When the war ends, I will leave all this and go about my affairs. Since childhood, I have been involved in yachting, a hobby passed down from my father, who is a co-founder of one of Kyiv's yacht clubs. One part of my passion is sailing, and the other is long-distance travel. I dream of a round-the-world trip. So far, I've only been able to partially accomplish this when I delivered a boat from the port of Ushuaia (Argentina) to the port of Portimao (Portugal).

I have friendly relations with the Paganel travelers' community, and they give me hope that after I am demobilized, I will have a job that I love. Probably, we will sail to Antarctica. During the war, such plans add a certain vision of the future»