The international delegation, headed by Ana Lucía Bueno, ICRC Public Health Coordinator, and Sujit Panda, Head of the Physical Rehabilitation…
On the eve of Christmas, Ukrainian poet, composer, singer, and now a servicewoman of the 39th Separate Coastal Defense Brigade, Khrystyna Panasiuk, spoke about how music helps servicemen recover.
The video was published by the “Breeze” TV and Radio Studio.
In the video, the servicewoman talks about who and what inspires her poetic and musical creativity, about the war, and about her choice to defend the Ukrainian people in the ranks of the Marine Corps of Ukraine.
“I first became acquainted with the army and the military back during the ATO in 2014. It was volunteering, trips, fundraising, charity concerts where we collected aid for the front. You understood that you were protected, that you were being guarded. And you had to do everything possible to help the people who stand in defense of the country, in defense of small children and women”, — Khrystyna Panasiuk said.
According to her, since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion, in addition to volunteering, she began to think about how she could be useful directly in the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Currently, the singer rarely manages to perform, as she must fulfill other service tasks.
“Recently, we went to work with the guys. They had just been withdrawn from positions. Two guys are standing there — they unloaded armor and weapons, their hands are shaking, blackened, exhausted, bearded, tired. And we say to him: ‘Buddy, let’s take you to wash up, eat something tasty, get some sleep’. And he says: ‘No, I want to listen to a concert’.
For me, it was something unreal. A person is exhausted, tired, hasn’t slept — and he sits and listens to a concert. Even for one person, I would be ready to sing all day”, — she assured.
Khrystyna Panasiuk currently works as a psychologist.
“You can’t turn on emotions during combat. You have to clearly perform tasks, clearly know basic skills — that’s it — to save yourself and your brother-in-arms. There is the enemy, there is food, there are a few hours of sleep — and everything goes in a circle, no emotions. And when they come back, they often say they feel like zombies, that they feel nothing. This is a defensive reaction of the body.
And then, when you are in relative safety, you start singing to them about loved ones, about home, about children — they start smiling, they start showing photos of their wives, photos of their little children who are starting to crawl, walk, even grandchildren”, — the servicewoman said.
