A Small Light

Former actor turned correspondent Ix Shen, who was based in Ukraine when the Russian-Ukraine War escalated in February 2022, details the power of hope and solidarity through his experiences.

-  IX SHEN

In early March 2022, I was out on an errand in the city of Kyiv when the air raid sirens sounded. I had to head towards the nearest available bunker, which was inside an underground Metro station, and joined the flow of other Ukrainians around the area as we sought shelter from the incoming bombardment. There was no way of predicting how long the air raid might last - it could be anywhere between 20 minutes and 20 hours.

It was then that I noticed an elderly gentleman carrying a small suitcase. My first thought was, how many days was he planning to stay down here?

As we huddled together in anticipation of another bombing, fear and anxiety took over, and most of us were busy doom-scrolling the endless coverage of the war on our smartphones. The elderly gentleman, however, unpacked his suitcase and unfolded it into an accordion. And he began to play.

His music filled the cold and dank shelter. The traditional Ukrainian melody captured our attention, and we looked away from our phones. A feeling of calm and comfort transcended the chaos around us. It was the warmth that we desperately needed.

LIVING IN A WAR ZONE