Anastasiya Naplekova finds peace of mind in piano keys as conflict continues thousands of miles away in her home country, Ukraine.
Naplekova, a UF College of Music graduate from Kharkiv, Ukraine, raised more than $1000 in donations to help Ukrainian musicians by gliding her fingers across Oak Hammock retirement community’s piano in two concerts this past week. She played the music of Sergei Rachmaninoff — a 1900s Russian composer who was highly critical of his country’s government — to about 75 residents Wednesday.
Naplekova’s GoFundMe, which she created in March, has raised more than $26,000 to help musicians in Ukraine living paycheck to paycheck.
It is her duty to support her home country, Naplekova, who moved to the U.S. when she was 23 years old, said.
“Seeing every street I walked on, I grew up on, every building I’ve been to being bombed is not something you would want to go through,” Naplekova said.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine began in February, but took a strategic pause after Russia seized the Luhansk province July 3, according to UF History Professor Seth Bernstein. While fighting persists in places like Donetsk, Russian forces have stalled slightly in their advances, Bernstein said. The Russian military units involved in Ukraine were given time to rest to recover from combat on July 6, according to an AP News article.
Marta Whipple, a 92-year-old Oak Hammock resident, said the concert — especially the elegy from “Pieces-Fantasies, Op. 3” — refocused attention on the importance of helping Ukraine in whatever way people can. Ukrainian citizens should know the world is still thinking of them, she said.
Whipple experienced life under Russian rule while growing up in Yugoslavia. She understands what the Ukrainian people are going through and feels terrible for them, she said.
“I am a Slav,” Whipple said. “Ukrainians are Slavs — not Russian, but Slavs — and somehow I feel a sort of kinship with them.”
Svitlana Parker, a 22-year-old UF graduate student, lost all communication with her family members in Ukraine. She last heard from her brother March 27 — it was a 30-second phone call.
“I know he wasn’t able to tell all the details,” she said, “Or even all the truths.”
As time passes and people become desensitized to the media's war coverage, advocating for resolution is more important than ever, Parker said. Even she has slowly returned to a form of normalcy; she can finally sleep a few more hours and eat more than once a day.
“I was getting calmer and calmer, but I was still feeling guilty for being in a peaceful place,” she said, “Guilty for other people going through such tough times … and I couldn’t help them.”
Darya, a 22-year-old UF graduate who did not share her last name, moved to the U.S. from Ukraine when she was just two years old. Her grandma, who lives in an area separated from most of the conflict, will describe air raid sirens and ongoing bombing or shootings.
“If anything, it’s getting scarier now because there’s less press about it,” she said, “But the consequences of the war are getting a little more grave.”
Roksolana Mykytuik, a 26-year-old UF graduate student raised in Ukraine, organized a peaceful demonstration in Turlington Plaza in March, and quickly began making bigger plans to raise awareness for her home country, where the rest of her family remains.
These students built connections through the demonstration to form the Ukrainian Student Association, which allows them to distinguish themselves from the pre-existing Russian Culture Club.
The club has already raised money by selling baked goods and handmade jewelry at farmers markets, but Mykytuik plans to begin a fund similar to Naplekova’s musician fund to maintain awareness and direct support to displaced Ukrainian women during the Fall semester.
“I do realize that there are a lot of issues happening in the world, but I don’t want people to forget about Ukrainians dying every day and fighting for their freedom,” she said. “I don’t want it to become just a routine.”
Contact Jackson Reyes and Rylan DiGiacomo-Rapp at jacksonreyes@alligator.org and rdigiacomo-rapp@alligator.org. Follow them on Twitter @JacksnReyes and @rylan_digirapp.
Jackson Reyes is a UF journalism senior and The Alligator's Fall 2023 Sports Editor. He previously served as Digital Managing Editor and was a reporter and assistant editor on the sports desk. In his free time, he enjoys collecting records, long walks on the beach and watching Bo Nix.
Rylan DiGiacomo-Rapp is a second-year journalism and environmental science major covering enterprise politics. She previously worked as a metro news assistant. Outside of the newsroom, you can usually find her haunting local music venues.
