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Young Ukrainian Girl Goes Viral On TikTok With Videos Of‘Bomb Shelter’ Life
The war between Ukraine and Russia has claim the lives of many with properties worth millions of dollars destroyed. In all of this, a young woman from Ukraine is sharing insight into how she is living her daily basis life inside her family’s bomb shelter on TikTok amid the Russian invasion. She has gained over 300,000 followers as a result.
Valeria Shashenok, who posts under the username Valerisssh and is a photographer living in the city of Chernihiv — which has been left in ruins after intense shelling — has been reportedly living in a below-ground bunker with her parents amid the conflict, which has been escalating over the last two weeks.
In one video, titled ‘My Typical Day In A Bomb Shelter,’ Shashenok, 20, is seen doing everyday activities such as drying her hair and playing with her dog. Watch above.
She also goes outside to her family’s home in order to collect some more belongings and bring them back to the bomb shelter.
Shashenok uses this trip as an opportunity to show TikTok users what “Putin has done to the city,” including streets lined with debris and destroyed buildings.
In true Gen Z form, the video is set to the tune ‘Che Cha Luna’ by Louis Prima, an upbeat soundtrack to a bleak situation.
Shashenok also jokes in a separate video, set to ‘pushin P’ by rappers Future and Gunna, that her bomb shelter is a five-star hotel as she shows off the bunker’s gym.
She also dances alongside piles of rubble throughout the city and poses with buildings that have been bombed in other videos.
“Nice weather!” she captions one video, showing the ruins of the city.
In an interview with CNN, Shashenok says the situation in Ukraine is “getting worse,” but she is “lucky” to be in safest place possible with her family — in the bomb shelter.
Some have criticised Shashenok for her influencer-style videos during a wartime context, while others appreciate that she is showing conflict in real-time, and giving insight into how it affects everyday individuals on the ground.
“The internet changed war as we know it,” one user commented, as another said, “Imagine students watching this in a history class one day.”
As for why she chose to share her experiences to TikTok, Shashenok told CNN that as a photographer, she likes using social media to “show what I see in real life.”
“I feel it is like my mission to show people how it looks in real life. It is real life, and I’m here,” she said.
Fans across the world are sending Shashenok their love, with one from the United States writing: “You amaze the world with your resilience. Love from America.”
Watch video below;
