Victoria Belim, author of The Rooster House My Ukrainian Family Story

Victoria Belim is an author, journalist, translator, and fragrance specialist. She speaks 18 languages. Born in Kyiv, Ukraine, when it was still part of the Soviet Union, she moved to Chicago with her mother at the age of fifteen, and, as an adult, moved to Brussels, Belgium. In 2014, despite Russia’s invasion and annexation of Crimea, mobilization of troops and invasion of Eastern Ukraine, she traveled to Poltava, Ukraine—to reconnect with her family and her Ukrainian roots, and to resolve a family mystery that she chronicles in her 2024 memoir, The Rooster House. Her memoir weaves her search for the answer as she reflects on Ukraine’s culture, art, geography, and language with the ways they influence the complexities of Ukrainian identity. The interview has been edited for cohesion.

JT: When you hear the word "Ukraine" what do you think of?

My grandmother’s garden has such a strong association for me. That space, that garden, her cherry orchard. A cherry orchard in Ukraine  evokes family, comfort, a safe place and a small paradise. 
However, when most people hear or read the words ‘cherry orchard,’ they associate it with the 1904 The Cherry Orchard, a play by Russian playwright Anton Chekhov. It evokes feelings of loss of place, social and economic position and forces of change which upend families.

JT: Your book The Rooster House is a beautiful memoir about your visit with your grandmother in Poltava--to reconnect with her and find answers to a family mystery. Your book weaves Ukraine's dark history of WWI, the Holodomor, WWII and its Soviet experience and the ways it interconnects with your family's history. How do you think the memories that Ukrainians have of those difficult and violent times impact their resolve in this current war?  Does it influence their strong response to Russia?

Ms. Belim's grandmother by Ms. Belim

Oh, it goes much further back than the world wars.

What many people don’t realize is that the war, especially World War II -- is remembered very differently depending on where your family was in Ukraine at that time. Joining the Soviet Red Army to fight the German Nazis in Donetsk, Kharkiv, etc., was seen as patriotic service to defend the homeland from the invaders; that part of Ukraine had been part of the USSR since 1921; whereas, in Western Ukraine, the experience was quite different. From 1921 until, give or take, 1939, the Western part of Ukraine, including Ivano-Frankivsk, Lviv, Ternopil, and other towns in the region, had been under the control of Poland, Czechoslovakia or Romania. Therefore, that region was not subjected to almost 20 years of Soviet rule; and it was not until the end of WWII that it was fully incorporated into the then-called Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic (Ukraine SSR). So, Western Ukrainians did not have the experience of being part of the Soviet Union, and the citizens did not have the desire to ‘defend’ the homeland by signing up with the Red Army.

Ukraine is at a geographic crossroads that has both positive and negative impacts.  On the positive side, it allows for the growth and adoption of new ideas. People learn to co-exist, build anew, be resilient and move forward.

However, crossroads also bring uncertainty, instability and violence. Ukraine's self-identity has been forged through fights for its land, and, more importantly, to preserve Ukrainian language, art and culture. Ukrainians are grounded in this self-awareness, rooted in the long history of our strength and dedication to defending and projecting our unique heritage and identity. It's not just land that defines Ukraine, that defines Ukrainians. It's our language. Our culture. Our shared history. That history influences how we see ourselves--and has forged the Ukraine and resolve of Ukrainians that we witness today.

JT: You made a three-month visit to Ukraine and the end of last year.  How is your community in Poltava bearing up, especially since during those three months we witnessed unrelenting Russian bombardment of Ukraine, including Poltava.

Yes. There was a missile strike in our village in Poltava. Sadly, one woman was killed in the attack.  My grandmother's house is ok- we just lost some windows. But that is nothing compared to a loss of life.

People move on with their lives, despite the constant concern and danger. They can't control what the war brings, but they can control their day-to-day lives, plans for themselves, etc. It's very difficult, but they move forward in their lives.

This last trip, I traveled to Poltava, Lviv, Ternopil (in the West), Kyiv, and Kharkiv.  Kharkiv- what has happened, and is happening there, is tragic.  Within 15 minutes of my arrival by train there, 6 or 7 cruise missiles struck the area.  The city is under constant bombardment.  Immediately after a hit, the people of Kharkiv, the first responders, etc., everyone shows up to help - whether to save lives, put out a fire, stabilize survivors, get them immediate medical care and transport them to a clinic, or start to clean up the rubble. It is so impressive.  (JT NOTE: Photos from Kharkiv can be viewed here.)

 JT: While in Ukraine in 2014, you helped to catalogue a collection of rushnyky, symbolic and richly embroidered cloths used in church rituals and to drape over icons. What drew you to them?  Why is it important to you?

Rushnyky is a traditional Ukrainian ritual cloth intricately adorned with symbolic patterns and motifs. Although, at its most basic, a rushnyky is a hand towel, it is more than that. It holds significant cultural and spiritual value in Ukrainian heritage, representing a blend of art, tradition and identity. Rushnyky are family heirlooms that connect the past to the present. These embroidered clothes are cherished by families; some are more than a century old. For me, they connect me to my grandmothers. 

During much of Ukraine's history, when expressing thoughts freely had dangerous consequences, a rushnyky was a repository of encoded messages. It could be a declaration of love, a celebration of freedom or a yearning for escape.

Read Victoria’s blog on rushnyky here

JT: What changes did you observe between your two visits to Ukraine in 2014 and 2024? People, places, plans....

Oh, I was back and forth after my 2014 visit, which I wrote about in my book.  But my last visit before the war started was actually in 2020. 

What really is stark is the destruction of buildings and infrastructure and the toll it takes on the people there. People are tired…it is constant …this war…the air raid sirens. People are suffering physically, but more alarmingly, psychologically. It is so traumatic. The war and its impacts are present on a day-to-day basis.

JT: How has your perception of Ukraine and Ukrainians changed over the past thirty-four years of independence or 11 years of war? What changes have you seen over time?

Ukraine is now more of a country with a story to tell. They have embraced that story and are proud talking about it. That’s important. A country without a story to tell cannot have an identity. Before this war, people didn’t understand or know the story of Ukraine. Now they do.

JT: How can Americans support people living in Ukraine?

Read about Ukraine. Educate yourselves about Ukraine's rich history, culture, language and arts. Don’t ignore what is happening there. With so much happening in the world, and currently in the U.S., don’t forget about Ukraine and what Ukrainians are experiencing under constant Russian bombardment.