What's the problem?
Loving someone in the Ukrainian military is a trial each person faces in their own way. The joy of rare phone calls quickly turns into anxiety when contact is lost. Pride becomes entangled with fear, and behind strength, are hiding the tears no one else sees.
Yet, these feelings aren't always met with understanding or support from others. Often, they go unnoticed — or worse, dismissed as insignificant. The outcome is that many women suppress their emotions as if they have no right to pain or exhaustion. They learn to cope with anxiety silently, offering support to others even when they are in desperate need of it.
Guests of the performance. Photo courtesy of Ivanna Stets
What's the solution?
Ivanna Stets got the idea to draw attention to the experiences of soldiers' partners after she attended a research presentation titled "The Journey of a Soldier's Loved One" by the Ukrainian non-profit Veteran Hub. There, the emotions, words, and feelings of women waiting for their partners deeply resonated with her.
"It turns out society often overlooks the role of women waiting for their partners to return from war. That's when I realized art could be a sensitive and safe way to convey their experiences to those who haven't lived them but want to understand and support them," says Ivanna Stets, co-author of the idea and Senior Partnership Manager at Veteran Hub.
The idea took shape together with Veteran Hub, which Ivanna soon joined. The Partnership Fund for a Resilient Ukraine supported the project, and the creative team from the theater company Uzahvati helped turn the concept into reality.
This collaboration gave birth to the project Pomitna, which translates from Ukrainian as "visible." This immersive project safely draws audiences into the emotional experiences of military partners and allows them to walk the same path these women travel daily. The organizers sought out women willing to share their stories publicly to make the project authentic.
The project's team distributed a questionnaire on social media and Veteran Hub networks, including support groups for women. The team received responses from 28 people and then conducted 22 in-depth interviews, adapting and voicing personal diaries and notes of women who had experienced waiting for their loved ones to return from war.
Guests of the performance. Photo courtesy of Ivanna Stets
"The most important criteria for us were openness and the desire to share their stories, because each woman's story is special and significant. We wanted as many voices as possible to be heard in the performance. Out of 34 hours of interviews, we had to select specific fragments to weave into a single narrative. It was truly a challenge," says Ivanna.
Throughout the interviews, the team was attentive to the participants, carefully monitoring their reactions during every conversation. They crafted questions sensitively to respect personal boundaries without causing unnecessary distress. The process would pause whenever needed, and the women would be offered support.
After three months of dedicated work by around 50 creative professionals, the art project evolved into an immersive performance titled "Pomitna." Directors, playwrights, screenwriters, composers, and actors collaborated to merge the stories of 22 women into a moving hour-and-a-half narrative.
Thanks to the unique format of the production, visitors don't just watch passively — they become active participants, experiencing the emotions alongside the heroines.
Guests of the performance. Photo courtesy of Ivanna Stets
"Visibility isn't about whether someone opens up or stays closed off. It's about being placed in such a vulnerable position that you have to ask for help and support so often that you eventually stop asking altogether," says Ivona Kostyna, co-founder of Veteran Hub.
"And if those around you don't reach out, you begin to fade from their lives. You simply don't have the energy to keep asking for support. That's why this visibility is a call for others to pay attention, recognize, and acknowledge this experience, meeting it with compassion rather than waiting for someone in need to ask for help."
How does it work?
The immersive performance Pomitna is an interactive journey through the space of Kyiv's Central Railway Station, where visitors hear the voices of loved ones in the special headphones. The choice of location is no accident; the station holds deep significance for soldiers and their partners. It symbolizes meetings and farewells and captures the ever-present feeling of waiting, a state that defines the lives of the women at the heart of this project.
A guest of the performance. Photo courtesy of Ivanna Stets
"We considered other locations," says Ivanna Stets, Senior Partnerships Manager at Veteran Hub, "but everyone agreed this one felt right. It's a place where people move — sometimes with confidence or not — where some journeys begin, and others come to an end. Amid the constant motion and bustling crowds, it can be the loneliest place of all. While the audience listens, the station carries on with its own rhythm. Its visitors become part of the narrative — some might even be living through the same experiences shared through the voices in the headphones."
According to Ivanna, guests often witnessed real moments of reunion or farewell between couples. On several occasions, a train would depart from the platform right as the final scene of the performance unfolded.
A guest of the performance. Photo courtesy of Ivanna Stets
"We chose the immersive format because it offers a remarkable sense of involvement, of living through the story rather than just watching it unfold," says Ivanna. "In a traditional play, there's a clear line between actor and audience. Here, how deeply you engage depends entirely on you, the viewer, and the moment in the play. Do I want to keep listening or take off the headphones? Do I want to stay close to the group or step aside and reflect alone? The greatest strength of this format is that you can pause, slow down, or even walk away, always with the option to return. Given the subject matter, that freedom felt vital."
Though the performance doesn't offer a checklist on how to talk to soldiers' partners, Ivanna believes it raises awareness of their experiences and roles in supporting Ukrainian soldiers and veterans. It also helps others safely step into their reality, offering a deeper understanding of how best to support them.
Guests of the performance. Photo courtesy of Ivanna Stets
Does it really work?
The premiere was on August 14 last year, and the shows ran until mid-September. All 28 performances were free, and 690 participants attended. Among the audience were some women whose stories became part of the project.
Iryna Kharchenko, who lent her story to the performance, attended alongside her soldier husband. The show deeply moved them both. In the end, Iryna couldn't hold back tears — within the voices of other women, she recognized her pain and hope. Her husband was just as touched, realizing what it truly means to be the one waiting for someone. It became a profound, shared experience for both of them.
Guests of the performance. Photo courtesy of Ivanna Stets
Yuliia Perlova, another participant and the wife of a soldier, says Pomitna is more relevant now than ever. The performance helps people feel the war not just through headlines or reports, but through the invisible emotional struggles women face waiting for their loved ones to return from the front lines.
"War isn't the same for everyone," says Yuliia. "Everyone has their own experience. To understand it, we need to really listen to each other."
She adds that partners are a vital source of support for those on the front lines. That's why it's important for loved ones to care for their mental health so they can be the ones their soldiers can rely on.
"Our task is to care for ourselves, if only so we can be there for them. But that's not always easy," Yuliia admits. "That's why projects like this matter — they help you realize you're not alone. Others share your struggles."
Guests of the performance. Photo courtesy of Ivanna Stets
Pomitna is part of Veteran Hub's larger advocacy campaign, which also includes a card game called Svity for soldiers, veterans, and their partners; a podcast of the same name; an updated research project titled "The Journey of Soldiers' Loved Ones"; a video manifesto Paint Me the Night; and a documentary performance Kyiv–Unknown.
"We realized the need to expand the project just five days after the performances began — when we hit a sold-out show and started receiving dozens of requests from people eager to attend or adapt the performance for other cities," says Ivanna. "Even after the shows ended, the requests for more kept coming."
Now, the team is working on expanding Pomitna to other cities and even different countries. Scaling the project will not only draw more attention to these important stories but also create more opportunities for women around the world who face similar challenges to connect, share their experiences, and support one another.
