From fiction to research, Victoria Amelina, the writer seriously injured in Kramatorsk

First modification: 06/28/2023 – 19:07

Victoria Amelina, the renowned Ukrainian writer who went from fictional works of literature to field research after the Russian invasion of her country.

The novelist meets among the people who were injured in the attack on a restaurant in Kramatorsk, eastern Ukraine, on Tuesday, June 27. His state of health is critical, after he suffered skull injuries.

“Those who can, pray for Victoria Amelina,” asked former Colombian peace commissioner Sergio Jaramillo, who was meeting with her at the Rai restaurant, a place frequented by the military and journalists.

Also with them were the writer Héctor Abad Faciolince and the journalist Catalina Gómez Ángel, France 24’s special envoy to Ukraine, when two missiles, attributed by kyiv to Russia, hit the place.

This is a group of well-known Colombians who, together with the 37-year-old Ukrainian writer, they were “collecting material in this and other cities of the Donbass” for their movement ‘Hold Ukraine!’, they explained Abad and Jaramillo in a statement.

The attack leaves at least eleven people dead and dozens injured.

“The law deals with human beings, which makes it resemble literature”

The last months of Amelina were intrinsically crossed by the Russian-Ukrainian conflict. The invasion of Moscow led her to move away from fictional stories and dedicate herself to data collection, victim testimonies, and investigation of crimes against humanity.

In dialogue with the local newspaper ‘Kyiv Independent’, Amelina had explained the reasons that made her change her vision of work. “It is impossible to write about anything other than the war and there are already too many journalists more qualified than me to tell what is happening. I decided to do something for which you can no longer be interviewed, ”she noted.

Likewise, he stressed that he does not believe that the defense of the most vulnerable and human rights are spaces that only specialists can occupy.

“The law deals with human beings or at least it should have people at the center. This is what makes the law look like literature”, said the writer.

The tragedy that prompted Amelina to change literature for crime investigation

The change of work of the author of two novels, a children’s book, winner of the Joseph Conrad Literary Prize and finalist of the European Union Prize for Literature occurred with the disappearance of Volodimir Vakulenko, her friend and colleague who stayed in Kapitolivka to care for your disabled child.

Vakulenko was one of the victims of the summary executions of the occupiers. After Ukraine recaptured the town, Amelina traveled there and began an investigation that led her to a torture chamber and a site with mass graves, where the remains of her colleague were found.

For this professional change, Amelina was educated by reading the statutes of the Geneva Convention and the Rome treaties, in addition to training on tax and legal issues, witnessing talks with specialists.

As part of her work, on June 26, the writer shared through Twitter some experiences that she was experiencing together with Abad Faciolince.

“The famous Colombian writer Héctor Abad Faciolince and the Ukrainian librarian Yulia in the liberated town of Kapytolivka, where the Ukrainian writer Volodimir Vakulenko was kidnapped by the occupiers. He feels like a solidarity hug from Latin America to Ukraine”, he highlighted.

With local media