Yevhen Ravskyi
A Senior Soldier of the 103rd Territorial Defense Brigade named after Andriy Sheptytsky, and an artist.
Author of the short story “War Notes” in the collection Stories of Warriors, in which he chronicles his journey from the first day of the full-scale invasion to daily life in the east: chaos, shelling, the first wounded, fatigue. The author blends the brutality of war with the beauty of the steppe, the silence between explosions, and the humanity of his comrades.
Military path
He has been serving since February 2022 as a Senior Soldier in the 103rd Territorial Defense Brigade named after Andriy Sheptytsky.
He has fought in Donetsk, Luhansk, Kharkiv, and Sumy regions. Fortunately, aside from concussions, no major incidents occurred.
Early May, the village of Hryhorivka. During intense shelling, we ran to a house with “Hudzik”. Explosions were going off behind us. Hudzik shouted, “Artist, drop!” and shoved me. On the ground, I feel Hudzik’s hand pushing me. Crawling low, I realize that my gear pouches with magazines, attached to my body armor, are digging into the earth like a bulldozer. A little more, and I might taste the dirt. Thankfully, it was dark, and no one saw the furrow I was leaving behind. In the basement where we were hiding, when asked what was happening upstairs, I wisely stayed silent.
Civilian Path
Yevhen is 59 years old. He was born and lives in Lviv.
He studied at the Republican Specialized Art Boarding School named after T. H. Shevchenko in the painting class. He has been — and still is — a painter.
He continues to serve and continues to paint:
Artists have a privilege: the freedom to be themselves. I hope that when my service ends, I will return to the state I am accustomed to.
How he started writing
A friend from Poland provoked me through correspondence. My responses were delayed, and the text kept accumulating. In the end, I don’t consider what I write as a standalone work. It’s correspondence, rather — more like therapy and an attempt to make sense of my states and the geography around me.
Favorite Books, Music, and Films
It’s hard to condense the answer into a few sentences.
Books: Homer, Márquez, Vonnegut, and others.
Music: Rock — King Crimson, Led Zeppelin, The Doors, Tom Waits, Pink Floyd, Braty Hadyukiny, Vopli Vidopliassova, and more.
Films: Italian Neorealism, French New Wave.
Most people expect a miracle. I have no illusions. Sacrifice. It is thanks to sacrifice that we still exist, and it is through sacrifice that we will continue to exist. Once, under Austria, there was a concept called the “blood tax,” which referred to the number of men who had to serve in the army. Our “tax” will be paid for a long time. That is what makes our victory all the more precious.