Living Peace 10: Letters of Wars and Peace
28. 2. 2025 | Politics
At the end of 2022, we at the Peace Institute, started organizing a series of public events entitled Thinking Peace as a response to the multitude of armed conflicts around the world. Since the world has been spiralling into dangerous global militarization, we wanted to rethink what is war, what is peace, and more importantly how to ensure a stable peace which would not be quickly engulfed in new conflicts and wars.
We want to expand on the Thinking Peace cycle and add new dimensions to imagining peace. With the help of amazing individuals worldwide, we are beginning a new series of public letters written by people whose lives were interrupted by war or who found themselves in a recent armed conflict. We have titled this series of letters as Living Peace to emphasize how important peace is and that people often only realize this importance when facing the brutality of war. We want to illustrate how people from Palestine, Ukraine, Rwanda, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Serbia, Syria, Sudan, Afghanistan, Congo, Yemen and elsewhere think publicly about peace. How do the inhabitants of these regions face wars and military conflicts? What lessons can we learn from their intimate experiences and existential fears?
While opinions of world leaders who justify or even defend wars, dominate today’s media spheres, we want to amplify the voices that defend peace, reject violence and recognize equal rights for all. Having experienced war, they understand why it is essential to live in peace.
The 10th letter we are publishing was written by Mora from Ukraine:
Ukrainians show remarkable resilience every day in terms of their flexibility and their strength. Volunteers help wherever they can, providing emergency medical assistance, supplying food to those in need, evacuating people from dangerous areas. People have unified since the war has started supporting each other, often by combining resources and aiding in rebuilding efforts. Many people have had to cope with the emotional uncertainty. While a few have relocated to safer locations or abroad, others have chosen to remain in their homes despite the impending danger. On the other hand, more than five million people have left Ukraine. A majority of Ukrainians adapted to the horrible situation and try to lead normal lives which I do not consider as a positive, because the constant stress has changed so many of them.
For those in hard-hit areas, life is spent mostly in bomb shelters or refugee camps. Basic living conditions can be challenging especially in our overcrowded shelters with limited access to sanitation. Refugee camps in neighbouring countries like Poland, Romania, and Moldova provide more safety but also bring the problems of displacement, such as uncertainty about the future and separation from family members. Living in Slovenia for me was a better and easier experience than what my friends experienced in Poland for example.
LETTER BY MORA FROM UKRAINE
Everyday life in Ukraine during the war
Everyday life in Ukraine during the war is a mix of fear, adaptation, and uncertainty. Despite the ongoing war, Ukrainians have found ways to maintain routines and ways to live, but the impact of the war is felt across all aspects of life.
There are often risks of air attacks and bombings, which cause frequent interruptions of daily life, prompting individuals to take cover in basements, metro stations, or bomb shelters – keeping people in fear. Urban centres like Kyiv and Kharkiv could be forced to listen to the sounds of sirens for 24 hours straight. The unpredictability of missile strikes, or drone attacks causes individuals to experience constant anxiety, even in regions distant from the primary combat zones. Attacks have hit military and civilian structures, such as houses, power stations, and medical facilities.
Regular attacks on infrastructure frequently cut off power, while also damaging water and heating systems. Power outages may continue for hours or days, forcing Ukrainians to limit their electricity use, utilize generators, or depend on temporary fixes. Many regions, particularly those close to the battle lines and borders, face insufficient supplies of essential resources like food, medication, and fuel, however humanitarian assistance is able to alleviate some of those deficits in certain locations. For example, my grandmother who is living in Kharkiv didn’t have electricity for days, so we couldn’t reach her telephone for a while.
Despite the war, people make an effort to keep working. Several businesses have reopened in more secure locations, while some have either moved or closed. One of a few clothing shops of my girlfriend’s mother had to close because of an air strike that hit the shop. In that small city these were the main retail shops, because there are no actual businesses operating except a few like theirs. The economic crisis has had a significant effect on peoples’ ability to make a living, leading to a widespread unemployment and increasing inflation. Farmers in the eastern and southern regions have encountered significant difficulties to cultivate their land because of landmines and ruined fields. Some people are working remotely or modifying their businesses in order to assist in the war efforts producing items like uniforms, provisions for soldiers, or other necessities.
Educational institutions like schools and universities frequently rely on online or hybrid forms due to air raids frequently interrupting in-person classes. In certain regions, school infrastructure has been severely damaged or razed to the ground. Teachers and students are overcoming these obstacles by conducting classes in shelters or using online platforms, yet the internet access remains unreliable because of frequent power outages.
Ukrainians show remarkable resilience every day in terms of their flexibility and their strength. Volunteers help wherever they can, providing emergency medical assistance, supplying food to those in need, evacuating people from dangerous areas. People have unified since the war has started supporting each other, often by combining resources and aiding in rebuilding efforts. Many people have had to cope with the emotional uncertainty. While a few have relocated to safer locations or abroad, others have chosen to remain in their homes despite the impending danger. On the other hand, more than five million people have left Ukraine. A majority of Ukrainians adapted to the horrible situation and try to lead normal lives which I do not consider as a positive, because the constant stress has changed so many of them.
Life in Shelters and Refugee Camps
For those in hard-hit areas, life is spent mostly in bomb shelters or refugee camps. Basic living conditions can be challenging especially in our overcrowded shelters with limited access to sanitation. Refugee camps in neighbouring countries like Poland, Romania, and Moldova provide more safety but also bring the problems of displacement, such as uncertainty about the future and separation from family members. Living in Slovenia for me was a better and easier experience than what my friends experienced in Poland for example.
Emotional Strain
The impact of the war on mental health is undeniable. People experience constant stress, fear, and anxiety. Mental health centers are under a big pressure, but volunteers still manage to provide some assistance.
Numerous families experience separation, as men typically remain close to the front and engage in combat while women and children escape to more secure locations, causing emotional strain for everybody involved. I have also experienced separation from my family and experienced mental health problems due to what’s going on in the world.
