Ukrainian human rights lawyer works on war crimes, fights for survival

Oleksandra Matviichuk, 38, is a human rights lawyer who lives in Kyiv with her husband and two cats. She is head of the Center for Civil Liberties and has been documenting war crimes since Russia invaded Crimea in 2014, work that has increased since Vladimir Putin’s troops entered the country on Feb. 24.

This Sunday, I had planned to gather with my colleagues in a restaurant to discuss a book which we were jointly reading.

Now, I’m with no friends here. I’m wearing the same clothes for several days. No restaurants are open.

It’s a good illustration of how fragile is the normal world.

I couldn’t stay in my home because it’s too dangerous. I moved to another part of Kyiv.

I regularly go to bomb shelters. Frankly speaking, I’m tired to go there for each alarm. They go off rather often, especially at night. To sleep in a bed, it’s a luxury.

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