[000:00:00;00] and talk to ukrainians . i will see how people live. i will visit different cities. i will taste the food. country, but in the end i am here as a cook and help in the shelter. but why did you choose to visit zaporizhzhia and not, for example, kyiv or some other city of our country? i came here as a representative of an organization called europeans, as the forum sounds like that the name is french and french is my native language. i had the newspaper

of this organization in brussels and i saw that they were looking for someone who could help them work in ukraine . at first it was planned that it would be a job at the shelters in mukachevo, then they asked me if it would be okay for me if they sent me to zaporizhzhia, they asked me about this because in belgium, we knew that zaporizhzhia is close to the front line. we discussed this proposal, in particular the issue of my safety, we discussed a safe place to live and also the presence of moles, so i decided to come to zaporizhzhia and why not when you told your family and your friends in belgium that you decided to go to ukraine what was their first reaction so that everyone's reaction was

different some said it was a great idea you should know that many people in belgium do not support the war but support ukrainians because we know about the situation. here, every day, even every hour, we receive news about the dramatic situation in various cities , so some people supported this idea . i told no one, i only told about what will happen in mukachevo because it is a peaceful place, when i was already in the shelter in the prison, i saw that it was safe here and then i told where i was and that it was safe here and that there are many other people around and i see a predator abouts it's a pity that zaporizhzhia is not the safest city . it's also dangerous here because the russian occupiers

are shelling it. were you personally scared to go here? what did you feel knowing that there was danger at first? i was scared in zaporizhzhia. i remember when i came here. then for the first five days i lived here in someone else's shelter there is a lot of housing. i was afraid of rocket attacks and sirens. at first, the city looked completely unfamiliar to me because i had never been here . i didn't know anyone. zaporizhzhia, like other cities in ukraine, is different from cities in belgium . there were no familiar names, because first of all, it is different and the alphabet itself, and secondly , there are not many people in zaporizhzhia who know and speak english, so i felt a little lonely, but it was like that at first, but little by little, i got used to the shelters here, there were three people

who spoke english with me. they they tried to explain the situation in the city to me. i tried to organize my feelings and put everything on the shelves for myself. of course, it was dangerous to go to zaporizhzhia. but you know that there is an application on the phone that warns of danger, and there are also sirens in the city that signal a possible attack and you can get your bearings, so when i arrived in zaporizhzhia and heard the air raid alarm, i immediately went to ukritsy or went down to the underground passages and stayed there until the air raid alert ended, did you ask me if it was scary you never know what could happen to you in the next moment. i had the choice to leave thousands and go. but the residents of zaporizhzhia or the people who are sheltered here do not have

such a choice, just leave everything and go and pay no attention to the situation here, there is another to zaporizhzhia when you came here directly to zaporizhzhia to here is this shelter , what did you do? i don't like to say that i am here to help, because help means that i am better than someone or have more powers and opportunities than others. i like to use the word share for me, staying here is an opportunity to share some knowledge, some history, the people who are here, they need someone to do different things with them, since i cook, i am

a cook, so i came and decided what i would cook . for example, in belgium we use the same vegetables as here onions and potatoes, garlic, but for example, all of these are used for completely different dishes. everything is completely different when i cook in this kitchen, it is a completely different experience of preparing dishes. i think it is good. stories and you also worked in belgium as a cook. yes, i worked in brussels in a shelter for the homeless, but when the war in ukraine began, new shelters began to open , new opportunities appeared for ukrainians who come to brussels to belgium, and i worked in the kitchen together with the team. we cooked for people every day, this is mine

main profession i also worked as a cook in a shelter for belgian women and before that i mean before i started working in shelters i worked in a restaurant i make mayonnaise professionally many of my friends love it too since the cook is not an anti-circle. this is vende vigun in ukraine. a full-scale war began in ukraine, so you started helping ukrainians in shelters who came to brussels from ukraine . work in the cook is important for me, because on the one hand it is socialization and contacts with people. i also liked working in a restaurant. i know that i can work in any restaurant when i want. i like the services both in the restaurant and in the shelter, but for me, contacting customers is not my

option because i prefer to work with people who really need it, when you worked in belgium in brussels with ukrainians who came there, what did you see, what were the basic needs of the people at that time, eh kuk i can't say what the basic needs of the people were, because i all the time i was in the kitchen, i’m a cook. but i can definitely say that they were all looking for ukrainian cuisine, ukrainian dishes. we and the team tried to cook as best as possible to provide people with quality food. it may have been simple dishes , but they were good only from fresh products. at

the beginning, it was difficult for us because ukrainian and belgian cuisines are completely different, so at the beginning the ukrainians did not really like that we prepared belgian dishes for them, the products, in particular, the vegetables that we use in belgium can be found in ukraine, but our people , for example, are used to a different serving of vegetables to a different set of vegetables. but the ukrainians were very surprised at the belgian shelter they have never seen some vegetables. we use a lot of vegetables, especially fresh ones, then we started inviting ukrainians to come to our kitchen, it was our decision, we had a professional kitchen there. we warned people to be we were careful to follow the rules because cleanliness in the kitchen is first of all important. so that no one injures himself, we offered to cook something for ourselves and we would help . we thought that this would be a good way out of the situation

for both the ukrainians and for us. we exchanged experiences. these were good moments. and how did people react to such an offer to go into the kitchen and write to cook for themselves and maybe somehow helped people adapt there, er , there was not always a good reaction and i remember how in the dining room we sat with my director and also with the translator to translate to people what we offer. it was in a hotel that when there was covid, the hotel was empty because it was free from visitors. and after that, the state made a decision to accommodate ukrainians there, later four such hotels were allocated and we decided that people there would be unlimited in their actions, that is, they would do what

we wanted to be there for safety, i.e. in case there was a fire or someone needed medical help. we always had to know how many people were there, but we did not limit them in any way. we asked everyone to register at the reception. independently, for example, when coming and going, at first it was not easy for people, but after 10 days of people being there, i saw that people began to socialize because it became a habit and people were no longer confused and did not need this help when you worked in belgium in brussels as well as in the restaurant in the shelters, maybe they knew some recipes for cooking ukrainian dishes or had already studied everything directly in ukraine. i knew about borscht, but i did not eat borscht. i already had it here. it is

a unique ukrainian dish, but for me to eat borscht once a year is normal, but in ukraine they eat it every day. to be honest, i've already had my fill of borscht . we cook different dishes in belgium, for example , we have a popular soup with vegetables. - we beat the puree with a mixer various vegetables and these are thick soups-puree when you scoop with a spoon and the spoon in the plate is standing, so to speak, i am used to eating soups, but in ukraine it is not like that at all you have also mentioned several times what in belgian did you have to learn how to cook from ukrainian cuisine and did you cook them at all before the full-scale war began maybe brussels also had

such experience eh no it's not easy, but it's exciting step by step i tried to cook new dishes from ukrainian products, i once cooked a belgian dish here with tumb is a mix of mashed potatoes and vegetables inside, and they also prepared sausages for it. this is one of the examples of a typical menu in belgium, in particular in brussels, and in the east of the country we call it jott - it is the same dish, but it sounds different because the roots from different languages ​​for inter-languagerations now in ukraine and you prepare ukrainian dishes so you help in the kitchen which dish is the easiest for you to prepare what

do you like to cook the most sometimes there is a piece of meat, sometimes it is chicken or beef, e.e., a mixture, bat a i shot about you fave and what dish do you like most from ukrainian cuisine? my favorite dish is cutlets in belgium. for example, we cook meatballs with different pieces of meat, then we fry and add different sauces , but it's still different. but there is one thing that is completely different in belgium, we always think about the fat content of the dish, but ukrainians don't

worry about it, and it's strange for you because a lot of pep polkin two kitchen i give and shop if we talk , for example, about the language directly in the kitchen in the shelter in the shops on the streets of zaporozhye people speak ukrainian it is difficult for you at first i felt lonely people around are talking about some things and i can't support the conversation i just follow my emotions, how they change, for example, someone laughs, thinks, or sometimes even gets angry when i am in such a situation, then i say something in english and people understand that there is someone else nearby, we like to listen to music in the kitchen and everyone can play the record player because someone likes one musician someone prefers another

genre of music and sometimes it is my turn to turn on my music and i turn on the belgian nostalgia radio i love his music from the 70s and 80s i am 53 years old and this is my favorite music have you already learned something from ukrainian any ukrainian words or phrases today freddie, but it is difficult for me, i have learned few such words, i can say good morning later and thank you, for example, when i go to spain, italy, for example, i easily understand what they are talking about, but there are no similar words or pronunciation in ukraine it's difficult, but it's an experience when i cook for people and they are happy, then i'm happy about it, i'm glad that i can do something to

improve the situation in the country even a little bit. i understand that people may not have money for food here, we cook for 20-50 people but not always and that's why i understand that everything must be done qualitatively. i'm here to help people. when i feel devastated or lonely, i call belgium. sometimes i just want to communicate in french. you're already friends in zaporizhzhia so i don't feel lonely . new friends are here. these are good guys, one of them is a teacher. of literature at one of the zaporizhia universities. his name is yura. she says hello to him. they show me different places in zaporizhia little by little. they introduce me to architecture and tell me about it

. i visited the zaporizhia opera. i try to take such walks in this way to understand the history of the city, how the city lives, how people live here not only during the war, i try to imagine how people lived before the war, how things worked here, for example, i asked people why there is not much traffic on the streets and they explained to me that it was because of the war i see that when people walk the streets, they are not very calm. that is, it is not like in peaceful times , i noticed it because i was in front of zaporozhye in uzhgorod and i look at people's faces and it is very noticeable there, people are more relaxed, more carefree. i would like to visit zaporozhye

and in other cities of ukraine, but already after the war in peacetime ukraine at the beginning of our conversation you said that you had a dream to visit ukraine now, unfortunately, we have a full-scale war but you are here in ukraine can we say that your dream came true and what are the feelings in you now and i have it, but all of them travel all over ukraine, i will talk about ukrainians because the people here are wonderful. speaking of zaporizhzhia, i already said that few people speak english or french in the city, but this is a city where i no longer feel alone. there is someone who me will help here, for example, when people see me on the street looking for something, i look around the townspeople, i don't know how, but they understand that i'm not a local. i guess i look different, and then

they approach me, offer help, they speak to me in ukrainian and those who don't know english, they simply take my hand and lead me to the nearest store, for example, because they know that there is someone there who speaks english and will be able to help , for example, in lviv, more people speak english and it is easier for me there, but i am very it's nice to be here i'm glad that i meet so many good people so i dream of coming back here i also want to visit odessa the carpathian mountains had enough strength to stop in the mountains at the beginning of the war every day we find

the strength step by step to return ours and we definitely have enough strength to achieve victory for the defense forces ukraine is moving forward, we understand that the most important thing is our wealth, our people, that is why we are happy for every ukrainian, ukrainians whom we managed to save, because we know that there is no such thing as a small amount of help and we are ready to support to the best of our ability with every shell fired by them

only strengthens our unity and the desire for victory, we will win and give up the ruins of washed-up cities, we will never return, when the country trembles from the explosions, when the night becomes day from the explosions , we worry about our relatives .

you must protect them, don’t shoot them, and don’t post photos and videos of air defense operations on the network . on march 3, i left borodyanka in a shack to my son’s father-in-law. i happened to be in borodyanka here at home. i didn’t call him here because it was dangerous. from the fact that, well, the phone will ring at the right moment, we went to nebrat. we were driving and arriving at the airfield on the right side , in the garden there were self-propelled guns, we saw it all, their equipment was there, a lot of their equipment was behind us.

they were approaching, there were already a couple of queues of fergs. well, they didn't think that we gunners would surrender everything to our armed forces. it was so warm then, and i 'm still saying dima, don't get too hot because it's so hot, because what are you going to do? mom, we're going out now, this is it, we'll call back my brother, sasha and i. well, they left me in socks and underwear . sasha took me to the borscht. he was in a t-shirt and skis. they tightened the connection with cable ties. the further i go, the worse it gets and one beautiful

day. well, the day there is no connection 3 2 he does not come out the third fourth well, they kept this garage, that garage in this we didn't keep, well, i, if i was in the same underpants and the same socks, well, it's good that i have one wheel behind me, well, i pushed the tire to the pillar i was handcuffed and already tied to such a person. that's who everyone didn't come here, and everyone hit their kidneys. well, where? well, i sat like that, where did i get there? i flew there, flew into my neck, hit my ribs, and my legs. it's already evening. my heart hurts, i started to think.

and then um noch noch i’m already crying i can’t straight well they were hard i’m telling you they knocked out my knee with buttocks well so you understand i had a knee like two of my nay one of my ribs was broken that’s how shimeya’s vertebrae healed well how is this a shocker in mainly the bag on the head was extinguished, there is not enough air, and then what about me that sanya did almost the same thing to us, the hole is the same, and you, this package, i feel that air .

and well, then the package is torn off in the eyes, it becomes dark, you lose consciousness, they pour water on you, i thought it was shorter , they gave him a stun gun, they gave him that name, they hunted a new one with gasoline , they set it on fire. and a person, when you water, i apologize. it doesn't arbitrarily start shooting down flames well, what is the movement of a bicycle called? no, he doesn't want to be journalists, he doesn't want to communicate with anyone at all, you're like handcuffed in one position. so you're sitting, you're not going to make a fool of yourself, and peace from below is not a problem at all. it ended and we were the first time we went out, we didn't even leave the house for a whole month

, even a month and a half to count , we almost sat there, we didn't even go out anywhere, and we went there where they called, i think maybe someone saw they or what, there were two women standing there, we approached them, i showed them that i said i didn’t see the photo, you told me we don’t know such people, no one had seen them. well, there was nothing more for us to ask, and for you to understand, there was a pit . there was a pit at this place, here it is already they buried the remains of this pit here, it was huge, sasha was lying on this side of the mystery. here i was in that club, lying between me. between me, there was one scumbag lying here, here. here,

another scumbag and another person were also there. to be honest, it was lucky to fall into the pit. therefore that there was at least styrofoam underneath, some warmth and there were and there were two blankets , they said in general, well, i want to go to the toilet, don't you have a toilet for yourself , guys, these easter eggs, you want to poop, this is your problem, tell me while i don't remember much, i don't remember much , i don't remember much yatayu i remember how a pit i immediately remember how he asked to take cover he remembers how uh, well, they interrogated us, what were they asking us about, they took us out of there, then he approaches well, i don't know , some kind of katsap approaches, he says, guys, lampavelo

, you are coming home, i hear something like that how is it scratched and he was probably thrown out so he is in i was eaten and thrown out and what is there is scratching at my door and screaming mom, i am such a person i open the gate dim and he falls in, we grabbed him everything she says hurts everything i looked here, there is nothing, from here he is all blue , just blue, i am such a person more than once if even though i worked in the hospital, i saw all sorts of fines, i picked up the radio and heard something . well, someone called roma, i went out, i looked in front of him like this , i looked through the fence and the stove was on fire. beaten movement dropped or some sausages, just handcuffs , come on. he can only wash himself at my place 15-20