Lines from the frontline: Ukrainian poet who's become a soldier to defend her country
Yaryna Chornohuz is one of Ukraine's best-known war poets who, as a battle-hardened soldier, has used her verse to capture the raw emotion of the conflict.
To mark Ukrainian Independence Day she read her poem The Ones Who Will Die Fighting for BFBS Forces News.
She joined the military as a volunteer combat medic in 2019 and, following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, has challenged gender stereotypes though becoming a marine and drone pilot.
Before her military experience, she helped organised protests in support of the Ukrainian language and culture, and against what she saw as attempts to capitulate to Russia.
While on the frontline, Ms Chornohuz wrote two books of poetry, which had substantial resonance in Ukraine.
Her work explores the brutal realities of war – life and death, the memory of those who have been lost, humanity's connection to the land, and the experience of a country fighting for its survival.
Through her poetry, she gives voice to both the pain of war and her hopes for Ukraine’s future.
The soldier and poet is also a mother, and she says her writing is for both her comrades and her daughter – whose future she is defending.
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