Interview with Paulina, aspiring Kharkiv figure skater

By Matthew Parish

Saturday 26 September 2026

Dr Matthew Parish interviews Paulina, a 14-year-old girl from Kharkiv whose childhood, education and sporting ambitions have been transformed by Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Once a competitive figure skater, she was forced to abandon the ice after Kharkiv’s skating facilities became unavailable during the war. She has since taken up aerial acrobatics, while continuing to study, volunteer and build a life in the city she refuses to abandon.

Matthew Parish: Thank you very much for speaking with the Lviv Herald, Paulina. Could you begin by telling us a little about yourself, where you were born and where you are from?

Paulina: Hello. My name is Paulina and I am from Ukraine, from the city of Kharkiv. Thank you very much for inviting me to speak with you.

Matthew Parish: Tell me about the Kharkiv you knew before the war. What kind of city was it?

Paulina: Kharkiv was very much a student city because there are so many universities here, and some of them are very famous. There were lots of people everywhere. Now it feels different. The city sometimes seems to have more grey colours than it did before, and I really hope that one day we will have back the city we knew before the war.

Matthew Parish: Kharkiv was particularly well known as a city of universities, culture and education, wasn’t it?

Paulina: Yes. There are lots of schools and universities, and people came here from many different countries and from other Ukrainian cities to study. The standard of education was very high. I think Kharkiv was perhaps the most popular city in Ukraine for students.

Matthew Parish: Before the full-scale invasion, you had serious ambitions as a figure skater. Tell me about that.

Paulina: I was a figure skater for about six years. It was really my life and my main ambition. Then one day it stopped. The ice rinks in Kharkiv stopped operating and I could no longer train.

Now I do aerial acrobatics instead, but every day I remember the time when I was skating on the ice. I still hope that one day I will be able to return to figure skating.

Matthew Parish: What happened to the ice rinks in Kharkiv?

Paulina: At the beginning of the full-scale war, one of the ice rinks was hit by Russia. The others closed. Some of the other rinks were in shopping centres and were intended more for ordinary recreational skating. I had been training at a specialist figure-skating school, at a very high competitive level.

Matthew Parish: So because of the Russian attacks upon Kharkiv, the facilities you needed were simply no longer available and you had to stop training?

Paulina: Yes, that’s right.

Matthew Parish: What happened to you and your family when the full-scale invasion began in February 2022? How did your life change?

Paulina: We left Kharkiv and went to a village near Vinnytsia. Every day I was thinking about Kharkiv and wanting to come back. I always hoped that one day we would return.

Then we did come back, and I felt as though my life could continue again. I really love my city. I cannot imagine my life without Kharkiv. I have lots of friends here and lots of people I know. I cannot imagine living somewhere else.

Matthew Parish: How long were you displaced from Kharkiv?

Paulina: I think it was a couple of months, and then we came back.

Matthew Parish: Kharkiv has continued to be attacked throughout the war. What is it like living with that?

Paulina: Russia attacks our city all the time. I remember one particular night when there were so many explosions. I think there may have been 89. It was one of the worst days and nights that I can remember.

Every day I can feel nervous because I think about my family and about what might happen to us. Every day I hope that one day it will end.

Matthew Parish: Yet life continues in Kharkiv despite the attacks. How do you live an ordinary life in these circumstances? How do you fill your days?

Paulina: I continue living because I am an optimistic person. I always think that everything will be okay. Sometimes I feel nervous, of course, but actually I am a happy person because I was born here. I know that my city is strong and that we will still be here.

I am proud of Kharkiv and of the people who live here. We are Ukrainians and we are patriots. I am proud of my city, of my family and of myself for continuing.

Matthew Parish: You have also managed to continue with sport. Tell me about what you do now.

Paulina: After the ice rinks stopped operating, I discovered aerial acrobatics. That is what I do now. Sometimes it feels as though I am flying.

I am a very sporty person and I cannot imagine my life without sport. I train all the time and I am working towards competitions and championships. I hope that one day you will hear about me as a sportswoman.

Matthew Parish: I hope so too. You are still very young and you have your whole life ahead of you. What are your hopes for your own future and for Kharkiv after the war?

Paulina: I do not think we should simply go back to being the city we were before. I think we should become better and stronger.

I want to study here and live here. I want to show people that Kharkiv really is a strong city. I think the whole world will know about our city and our people. For me, it is very important that after everything that has happened we become better than we were before.

Matthew Parish: What do you think about the Russian soldiers and forces attacking Kharkiv?

Paulina: I cannot imagine what is in their heads. So many people and children have been killed. I cannot understand what they are doing.

I am a child myself. They need to understand that there are lots of people here who simply want to live. We are normal people. We have done nothing to them. We just want to continue with our lives.

I also think that after everything we have experienced, we will become stronger. I really hope so.

Matthew Parish: Are you afraid living in Kharkiv? Do you still become nervous, and how do you deal with that fear?

Paulina: Sometimes I am afraid, but now I feel better because I am a little older than I was at the beginning of the war. I understand more things now.

Perhaps I also think more about supporting other people than I think about myself.

Matthew Parish: Your English is excellent. How did you learn to speak it so well?

Paulina: I started learning English when I was very young and I have practised it every day. I have had lots of lessons and I have also practised through my volunteer club. I volunteered at a place where I had opportunities to speak English, and I want to thank the people there because they helped me to become much more confident speaking it.

I also studied in the United States for a time. Now I try to practise English whenever I have the opportunity.

Matthew Parish: Finally, suppose Vladimir Putin were reading this interview. What would you say to him?

Paulina: I would say: please stop this. It is not normal. You cannot do this. You have to understand that children are being killed, but also that you are destroying people’s wishes and plans for their lives.

On 23 February 2022, I had competitions ahead of me. I had plans for my life. I wanted to become somebody. I wanted perhaps to become a famous sportswoman. Instead, I have had to spend these years thinking every day about the bombings and attacks upon us.

I would ask him to think about what he is doing.

Matthew Parish: Paulina, thank you very much for your time. I wish you every success with your sport, your studies and everything you want to achieve in the future. Thank you for speaking with the Lviv Herald.

Paulina: Thank you too.

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Paulina was interviewed by Dr Matthew Parish in Kharkiv, Ukraine, in September 2026. The interview has been lightly edited for clarity and readability while preserving the substance and character of her answers.