Reflecting on my time at Middlebury after three years of war in Ukraine

On Feb. 24, 2022, eight years after the annexation of the Crimean peninsula, Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. What was supposed to be a three-day special military operation has now officially gone on for over three years. Despite pessimist predictions, Ukraine was able to fight back the invasion and regain much of its lost territory.

Yet, for many Ukrainian students at Middlebury, the war has remained a constant part of everyday life. For myself, it has become synonymous with my time at Middlebury. The invasion began just a few weeks after I first arrived on campus as a Feb and is still happening as I write this in my senior year. I had anticipated the conflict in those weeks before the initial invasion, ever since Vladimir Putin first began amassing soldiers on the Ukrainian border, but its sudden start was still shocking. It was 10 p.m. when a friend from my hometown in New York texted me the news. I was soon on the phone with my Ukrainian grandparents, calling to find out if they were safe, even if such assurances of safety are now indeterminable for Ukrainians.

Other Ukrainians on campus with whom I have spoken with had similar experiences. 

“I felt like the world was falling apart, everything froze. But I mainly felt numb, which is how I often feel today as a reaction to any bad news from Ukraine,” Kseniia Lebid ’26 said. 

“I saw [Putin’s ] speech and the news coming out, and it was like a nightmare,” added another student, Sofiia Tretiak ’27.

The war alienated Ukrainian students at Middlebury from their peers. Any conversation about the war is personal for us. “It’s much more difficult to talk about Ukraine. I get offended and angry so easily while people can walk away without realizing the effect of their words on me,” Lebid said.

“Right now, you always have the war on your mind,” Anastasiia Demchenko ’28 said. “Sometimes it’s difficult for me to talk with other students about some everyday things just because at moments I realize how different is where we stand in life right now,” Lebid added.

The threat of a missile striking the home of a loved one is still a constant reality for Ukrainian students at Middlebury. 

Through my time in college, reading the news and hearing of the horrific events of the war, I have learned that the threat of Putin’s Russia is not one that can be defeated through concessions. One of the Russian government’s main goals is to eliminate Ukrainian cultural identity, which has been demonstrated through massacres in places such as Bucha and Mariupol, the abduction of Ukrainian children and countless other atrocities. Despite the Russian government’s attacks on Ukrainian culture, at Middlebury, Ukrainian students have used their voices to educate the world about their traditions.

Since its inception in April 2022, Ukrainian students have organized the United for Ukraine show at Middlebury. The show included among other things, performances from the New York Crimean Tatar Ensemble, traditional Bandurist musicians, student choreographed dances and a variety of poetry readings, songs and theatrical performances. Through this show, people within and outside the college community learned of the beauty of Ukrainian cultural traditions. In addition to the annual spring show, Middlebury students hosted traditional culinary workshops and danced in the International Student Organization (ISO) show. 

While away from home, culture has become the strength for Ukrainian students. It is a way of garnering support for our country while we remain thousands of miles away from the front lines. 

“I feel a lot of responsibility about everything I do. I want people to know that we [Ukrainians] are not just the war… I always have to be educating, doing something because I am so privileged to be here,” Tretiak stated. 

Indeed, the best way for us Ukrainian students to help our country would be through the education of others. Through education, we can garner support for our people and country.

As the current United States administration does its best to dismantle Ukrainian territorial sovereignty through concessions to a predatory Russian government, we must remember that Ukraine has remained defiant. Despite current events such as the United States president’s tantrum in the Oval Office and its vote to side with Russia at a recent United Nations meeting, Ukraine’s soldiers continue to push back the Russian invasion. There is still hope for the Ukrainian people.

My time at Middlebury has been largely defined by this war. It has stayed with me through all my assignments, tests and essays. As calls for a ceasefire become louder, the end seems to appear to draw near. The reality is that only a Russian defeat can end the war. Russian expansionism is not limited to Ukraine. It involves every country. As Ukrainian students we understand Russia’s threat better than anyone and will continue to support Ukraine through everything we do.

Slava Ukraini.