Before the full-scale invasion, Kateryna Kolmykova operated eight home goods stores and was involved in theater. In February 2022, she, along with her husband and family, fled Mariupol in their own vehicles.
“The city center was heavily bombed. There was a direct hit on my parents’ garage, which was completely destroyed. I saw fear in my mother’s eyes and in my child’s eyes. That was the scariest part for me. I decided that I would drive, take my mother, my child, and my sister, and we would leave. I just didn’t want to hear any more of this,” Kolmykova recounted.
Initially, the family found shelter in Ivano-Frankivsk, sleeping in their cars while searching for housing. Eventually, a stranger offered them a house for free.
Later, the family moved to Kyiv where they began to rebuild their business. The first products they sold online were folding beds from pre-war orders. Kolmykova utilized new formats and platforms like TikTok and Instagram to promote her products, sharing tips for coping during blackouts that garnered thousands of views and attracted new customers.
In Kyiv, Kolmykova also returned to the theater. She participated with other Mariupol residents in creating a documentary performance titled “Faces of the Color of War,” based on stories from the city.
In the summer of 2026, a Russian missile destroyed the shop the couple had opened in Kyiv after their relocation. Kolmykova stated that she once again had to start from scratch.
“I don’t see myself as unbreakable. I feel like I was broken and twisted. Then I pieced myself back together and moved on, because there is no other way. I am an entrepreneur. I never rely on anyone. First life, second life, third life, yes. I hope I’m like a cat; I have nine lives,” Kolmykova said.
Context
- According to the Rinat Akhmetov Foundation, the ‘Voices of the Peaceful’ Museum has collected over 145,000 testimonies about the war in Ukraine.
