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“Raising My Voice for Ukraine” — Masha Udensiva-Brenner for Columbia Magazine
August 17, 2022

On August 12th, Columbia Magainze published Raising My Voice for Ukraine by Masha Udensiva-Brenner (CU Journalism ’21, Harriman Staff). In the article, the author traces her background and experiences, and how they led her to produce a podcast about the war. Udensiva-Brenner writes:

“At school I pinned a red star to my uniform and sat with my hands neatly folded, listening to narratives valorizing the Communists. At home, it was made clear to me that the Communist regime was cruel and unsuccessful.”

“Back then, all I knew of Ukraine were faint memories of my mom’s Ukrainian aunt and her children coming to stay with us after the Chernobyl nuclear disaster, and the fact that half my mother’s family — her paternal Jewish side — was from Kyiv.

“I also felt a deep sense of guilt for being Russian, even though I hadn’t lived in Russia since 1991 and never supported the Putin regime. It was a feeling shared by many of my Russian friends.”

 

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Photo by Philip Vukelich

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