"The 'Mriya' Plane — a part of my family's life": the story of 18-year-old Sofiia from Kyiv joins the Museum of Civilian Voices by the Rinat Akhmetov Foundation

Sofiia is a delicate young woman with incredible inner strength. Her essay, submitted to the nationwide competition "1,000 Days of War: My Journey," earned third place. In her work, she reflected on losing her hair due to stress, embracing her new self, and mourning the destruction of the "Mriya," a symbol of Ukrainian history and her own family’s legacy. Sofiia's story has become part of the Museum of Civilian Voices by the Rinat Akhmetov Foundation.

Sofiia's grandfather was one of the designers of the AN-225 aircraft, so she grew up hearing stories about the creation of the "great plane." On February 27, 2022, during the battles for Hostomel Airport, the legendary "Mriya" was destroyed. Sofiia recalls how she felt upon hearing the news:

"When I found out, I had a complete breakdown. For more than six months, I couldn’t stop crying every time it came to mind. Now I feel calmer—maybe it will be rebuilt because the blueprints still exist. I didn’t tell my grandfather about it, but he found out. I could see how devastated he was; he almost cried. It was a heavy blow for him," Sofiia shared with Olexii Sukhanov, an actor, host, and ambassador of the Museum of Civilian Voices.

Sofiia's teacher inspired her to participate in the essay competition. Initially, she doubted herself but decided to write anyway, drawing on her personal experiences: the stress, losing her hair, bullying, and her journey toward adulthood.

"For me, it was primarily an opportunity to speak about my generation," Sofiia said.

She also noted how much she has changed during the full-scale war:
"I’ve become more responsible and mature. I’ve learned to be grateful for everything I have because it can disappear in an instant. I’m happy when I can sleep peacefully, waking up to sunlight rather than explosions," she shared.

Sofiia's full story is available here: https://bit.ly/42cMU9o

Her essay on her 1,000 days of war can be read here: https://bit.ly/4jaHrpH

The Museum of Civilian Voices by the Rinat Akhmetov Foundation houses over 120,000 stories about the war. It is the world's largest collection of personal accounts from civilians affected by Russia's war against Ukraine.

Share your story on the Museum's portal: civilvoicesmuseum.org or call the hotline at 0 (800) 509 001.