From Kharkiv to Nottinghamshire: A young girl's journey and struggle | World | News

The speech is inspiring, powerful and emotional at the same time. The words of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky would not have been out of place if he had asked the US Congress for further help for his country.

It begins: “Where are your eyes, world? Can't you see? People are dying, people are dying every day! People are being killed for no reason. Everywhere, at home, in shopping malls and on playgrounds. Just tell me why? Why do Ukrainians have to suffer these terrorist attacks from Russia?”

But these moving words come not from a politician, diplomat or high-ranking military officer, but from a 15-year-old Ukrainian girl who now attends a British school.

The quality of the speech that Anastasiia Kapustian wrote in her second language surprised the teachers.

Now there are efforts to publish the book worldwide and thus gain support for her home country.

Anastasiia's speech continues: “Have you ever heard the sound of a falling bomb? No? Well, every child in Ukraine knows the difference between the C-300 and the OFZAB [bombs]. I hope these sounds never become familiar to you.

“But for the Ukrainians, each of these bombs means death, each of these bombs has taken a person’s life.

“Someone's mother will never hear her child's voice again, someone's father/brother/sister/mother will never come home and say how much they love each other. And all of this is happening because of the terrorist state of Russia, which no one can stop because of its power.

“For most of the world, it's just a game. In this case, they're just playing with people's lives. Of course, nobody cares about Ukraine, of course nobody had heard of Ukraine before the recent invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

“Unfortunately, only Ukrainians know that it started in 2014, when terrorist Russia occupied Crimea and Donbass. Nobody was interested in Ukraine, but when [Vladimir] Putin said he would take over not only Ukraine but other countries as well, and everyone began to fear for their lives.

“You may be wondering why I am so desperate to talk about this? Why am I screaming for help when everyone is already helping Ukraine? You know what, of course I am grateful for everything that people have done and are still doing for Ukraine and the Ukrainian people, but how should I feel when I am alone in another country?

“Tell me how I should feel and why I should stop shouting about everything Russia is doing in my country, while my whole family is in danger of being killed every day! My brother is in the army. Tell me why my brother, only 22 years old, had to join the army to protect our country and our family?

Every day he risks his life to protect mine! Why can't I just take him for a walk without worrying that he'll leave and go to the front again? And again I'll have to wait forever to call him because he's without electronic devices. Every day I pray for his life. Why should I just wait for every holiday to go home and see my family?

A very simple example: every child in Europe can come to his family and hug them when he misses them. But that is not the case for me. I live in the [second] largest country in Europe and I have to wait, I have to wait and pray that the Russians don't kill my family so that I can see them again.

“But imagine how I feel when I read the news about a new Terrakt [terrorist act] where many people lost their lives, and I try to call my family and instead of hearing their voices, I have to listen to the beep of a connection that cannot be made, but for how long? Forever?

“When I hear those beeps, my heart stops… and my breathing slows down to suppress the pain.

“I'm screaming for help! Should I ask you to go there and join the army? No. I'm just asking you to go to the protests. I want to raise awareness about the genocide of my people! I'm doing this, I'm doing this because I know how it feels to lose people, people who fought to protect us, people who gave their lives just to give us a chance to survive. People are dying, people are dying every day! Scream about Ukraine. Stop Russia from killing people!”

With her mother's consent, I interviewed Anastasiia, better known by her short name Nastya.

She told me: “For my English exam, we had to prepare a speech on any topic. I didn't hesitate for long – I wanted to be heard; I wanted people to remember Ukraine. I wrote my speech in class and submitted it for review. When my teacher read it, she was surprised – even shocked. She sent it to other teachers.”

Teachers at Alderman White School in Bramcote, Nottinghamshire, were not only impressed but also concerned about the pressures Nastya was under, with her family still living in war-torn Ukraine.

She was asked to speak to a staff member responsible for personnel protection.

“She asked how I was doing and if I needed more support at school. But I always go to school with a smile.”

Before the open war that began more than two and a half years ago, Nastya, who has turned 16 since writing this essay, lived in Kharkiv, Ukraine's second largest city and close to the current front line of the war with Russia.

At the age of 13, she lived in a house with her mother Valentyna and her brother Dmytro, who was affectionately called “Dima” and studied at an agricultural school.

“On February 24 [2022]”At about 5 a.m. we were awakened by explosions,” Nastya recalls. “The city came under artillery fire. The explosions were getting closer and closer. The house began to shake. The next day a rocket flew into the courtyard of the 12-story building next to us, cutting off all communications and smashing its windows and balconies.”

While the fighting raged for days, Nastya sought shelter with her family.

“I stayed with Dima and my mother told us to turn the basement in the kitchen, where we kept jars of pickled vegetables and jam, into a bomb shelter,” she continues. “We brought down a carpet, mattresses, blankets, water and candles. But it was still very cold and damp,” she said. “On the third day, my mother said, 'Let's stop sitting at home, we have to do something.'”

So she and Dima went to the local hospital to donate blood for injured soldiers and civilians from the city. Nastya's mother also toured the city and distributed food to those in need.

Eventually, Nastya and her mother moved to Krakow in Poland, where they had contacts, while Dima stayed in the family home with his maternal grandparents, who lived nearby and did not want to be evacuated. However, in May 2022, Nastya was offered a place at Alderman White School and a temporary home with a sponsor family nearby. Her mother decided to return to Ukraine after her son volunteered for the army.

Valentyna tried to persuade Dima not to come forward and told him to finish his studies.

“Dima replied that if everyone didn't stand up to defend our country, tomorrow there would be no home to return to,” says Nastya. “That's how my life abroad began. I like school and my friends, but I look forward to school holidays so my mother can come and we can go home to Ukraine.”

Two of her brother's friends died in the war after volunteering for the army. “When Andrei and then Maxim were killed, something died in me too,” says Nastya. She prays every day for the safety of her family.

Nastya said of her visits to Kharkiv during school holidays: “The streets are empty, there are no children playing. But it is still my city. Its energy inspires me.”

Her speech was brought to my attention by Marcus Dixon, a co-founder of the Ukraine Freedom Company, a British volunteer group that provides aid to Ukraine.

This was shown to him when he met Nastya and her mother to provide medical assistance.

“I was completely overwhelmed,” he says. “Nastya is remarkable: she has these steely blue eyes, accompanied by a determination to do as much as possible for her homeland. I want this speech to be published all over the world.” The Ukraine Freedom Company is currently raising money to replace equipment and supplies for Dima's military unit, a “special forces unit.”

Nastya has now returned to Nottinghamshire to start a new school year. “We are not sure if I will be able to stay with my sponsor family and do my A-levels, but I really hope so,” she adds.

“My dream is to study in Great Britain. One day I want to become a journalist, inform people and communicate.”

Ultimately, however, there is no doubt about where Nastya’s heart and future lie.

“I am truly grateful to this country, to the British family who invited me here and to the teachers at the school who supported me. As much as I feel cared for in the UK, I would like to go home one day and continue a normal life in Ukraine.”

• Lord Ashcroft KCMG PC is an international businessman, philanthropist, author and pollster. For more information about his work visit lordashcroft.com. Follow him on X/Facebook @LordAshcroft. Nastya asks anyone who would like to donate to help Ukraine to visit ukrainefreedomcompany.org.