Ukrainian writer, playwright and war veteran Alina Sarnatska has described how Russian airstrikes are taking a growing psychological toll on civilians in Kyiv, saying that friends have recently confided that their hands have started shaking during attacks. In a personal account published this week, Sarnatska said she has become something of an ambassador for people whose hands shake during airstrikes, after her own meltdown during a strike in the Donetsk region left her with a lasting physical reaction.
Writing from the Ukrainian capital, Sarnatska reflected on the intergenerational experience of war in her family. Her grandmother had just turned 17 when Nazi forces entered her village in the Kyiv region, near what is now the city of Bucha. She hid in an attic to avoid being taken for forced labour, and escaped detection that time, but was caught weeks later while working in the fields. Put into a cattle wagon and taken to Germany, she eventually escaped and walked several hundred kilometres back to her village. Sarnatska recalled that her grandmother described life as hard for everyone during the war, but counted herself lucky.
The writer said that in the past month, two friends in Kyiv have told her their hands shake during Russian airstrikes. She noted that everyone who learns of her own condition tends to share similar stories, suggesting the symptom is widespread among civilians enduring repeated bombardment. Sarnatska said her skin has thickened into armour, but expressed a determination not to let survival strip away her tenderness towards others or herself.
Sarnatska is the author of two books and nine plays, and her work has been staged and presented internationally. Her account comes as Russian strikes continue to target Ukrainian cities, with civilians bearing the brunt of the campaign. The psychological effects of sustained aerial attacks have become a growing concern for Ukrainian society, as residents adapt to the constant threat while trying to maintain everyday life.
The reference to Bucha carries particular weight, as the town outside Kyiv became synonymous with alleged Russian atrocities during the early phase of the full-scale invasion. Sarnatska's family history, reaching back to the Second World War, underscores the cyclical nature of violence in the region and the endurance required of each generation. Her testimony highlights how the current war is not only a physical threat but also a profound psychological strain on those who remain in cities under fire.