The Story Behind TIME’s ‘Resilience of Ukraine’ Cover
(Artwork by JR; Photograph by Artem Iurchenko. A drone was used to
capture the cover image on March 14 in Lviv.)
Since Russia’s invasion began, dozens of Ukraine’s 7.5 million
children have been killed and thousands of others have fled in
search of safety. Among those thousands is 5-year-old Valeriia
from Kryvyi Rih, President Volodymyr Zelensky’s hometown in
central Ukraine. Her image – a smiling child – appears on one of
this issue’s covers.
If you met Valeriia, you might think she’s shy, her mother
Taisiia told TIME, but don’t be fooled; at home, she commands
attention. She loves the same things as many little girls – her
stuffed bunny; her Elsa doll fromCold Heart(which English
speakers know as Frozen); and her pink backpack, which she had
to leave behind as she ran off her country. Valeriia also has big
dreams: in particular, starting her first year of school on Sept. 1.
Now, it’s hard to say when and where Valeriia will be able to do
so. On March 9, mother and daughter fled to Poland; for safety,
they asked that TIME use only their first names. In an interview,
Taisiia explained her decision to leave home to keep her child
safe. “She is my sunshine, my joy.”
According to Taisiia they woke up early in the morning of Feb.
24 to learn the occupying army had started bombing military
bases. “I thought about my daughter, Valeriia; for her safety, I
knew we had to go. We left Ukraine before we were bombarded,
so we had a chance.” Even though Valeriia is with her now,
husband and son stayed in Ukraine and therefore, it was very hard
to leave. The day they left, the lines for buses and trainsstretched
3 km, mostly women and children, she says, “We were packed
together and had to stand for 18 hours on the train to Lviv”.
The Russians still haven’t come to their city. The people
from Kryvyi Rih have fought them off. But they are closer and
closer, and you can see them approaching. In the media, Russia
says they aren’t at war in Ukraine. But the war is real. People
are dying for real. “And here I am, with my sister, my nephew,
and my mother in Poland, in a hotel near Warsaw. They take
care of us and even in this difficult situation, it was a warm
reception. I cannot find the words to express how grateful I am
to everyone who has helped”, ends up a crying Taisiia.