About Me: Vitaliy vv
A Retiree, Former Nuclear Icebreaker Seaman, and War Chronicler from Vyshhorod
Hello! My name is Vitaliy, and I am a Ukrainian retiree. Together with my wife, I live in Vyshhorod, a northern suburb of Kyiv. We currently share our home with our two cats; sadly, our oldest cat, Kuzia, is no longer with us.
My life has always been shaped by journeys and contrasts, though not out of a passion or hobby, but simply as a profession. It just so happened that for a long period of my life, I worked as a seaman (and not exactly out of a calling). Because of this career, I had to travel to a vast number of countries worldwide. I came to view the world as a diverse “Universe,” where each country feels like a distinct planet with its own rules and customs. Furthermore, back in the Soviet era, I spent time working on nuclear-powered icebreakers in the harsh latitudes of the Arctic. That experience of the North deeply shaped my practical worldview, teaching me to appreciate both difficult choices and simple joys.
However, on February 24th, 2022, our normal life came to an end. Alongside our neighbors, we spent the opening days of the full-scale Russian invasion sheltering in our building’s basement to the sound of explosions. Eventually, we had to undergo a difficult evacuation, carrying nothing but backpacks on our shoulders, blankets, and travel crates with two cats, while also pulling our 8-kilogram (17-pound) cat, Barsik, in a rolling duffel bag.
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I decided to start this blog on Medium to document what I witnessed and lived through exactly as it was — raw, honest, and without unnecessary pretense. Here, I will be publishing my memoirs across four parallel tracks:
- Escaping the War: A chronicle of our departure from Vyshhorod and the time of displacement.
- Arctic: Memories of life and work on nuclear icebreakers amidst the frozen element.
- The Universe: My professional and personal impressions from spending time in various countries around the world.
- Miscellany: The most unforgettable events of my life that do not always fit into a strict timeline.
I write my stories in Ukrainian and immediately provide an adapted English translation to share this journey. Thank you for reading. Welcome to my mosaic of memories.
