A Slovak Aid Worker's Diary: Life 17 Kilometers From the Russian Border

A Slovak humanitarian worker living and operating in Ukraine has published personal diary entries describing daily life in Sumy, a Ukrainian city located just 17 kilometers from the Russian border. In her account, she paints a striking picture of ordinary life continuing amid the shadow of war — describing a well-maintained Kharkiv park where children play on tricycles and scooters while squirrels dart through lush, neatly trimmed grass. The observations highlight the surreal contrast between the visible normalcy of civilian life and the proximity of active conflict along Ukraine's northeastern frontier. Sumy oblast borders Russia directly and has been subject to cross-border shelling and military pressure since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022. The region has remained one of the most exposed parts of Ukrainian territory, making the presence of foreign humanitarian workers there notable. The Slovak author's writings offer a ground-level perspective on the human experience of living and working in a conflict zone, a dimension of the Ukraine war that is rarely captured in conventional war reporting.