Tetiana Shchepanovo (33)
From Car Salesperson to Deminer
Rumours were swirling in Mykolaiv in May 2022 that Russia would soon bomb the city into ruin. Three months after the full-scale invasion, the city was close to the front line, and daily life had already become extremely difficult. For example, access to clean water was a major challenge after the water supply system had been destroyed.
That was why Tetiana Shchepanova decided it was time to leave. Her brother lived in Stockholm, so moving there seemed the obvious choice. Like many other Ukrainians, she first fled to Kraków, from where she could catch a flight to Sweden.
“It was difficult from the very first moment. I remember sitting in a café near the airport when a plane flew low overhead. It was easy to tell who among the customers were Ukrainians. Some hid under the tables, others flinched, while everyone else calmly carried on chatting and drinking their coffee. It was a very telling moment. We were all frightened, and unfortunately, I think you can still recognise us by that today,” she says.
In Sweden, Tetiana was safe. But that did not mean her nervous system could relax.
“All my friends and family were in Mykolaiv. So I followed every single news update and every post that came out. In fact, I was even more worried than I had been at home,” she recalls.
“I had worked in the automotive industry for eight years. I wanted to do something more useful for my city and my country”
“I don’t consider it dangerous. It is incredibly meaningful work, and I truly love doing it.”
After just two months, Tetiana decided to return home. She wanted to be with her loved ones, and she wanted to contribute to the fight for a free Ukraine. However, she had not yet decided how.
“At that point, I had worked in the automotive industry for eight years, but I knew I wasn’t going back to it. It had been exciting, but that chapter of my life was over. I wanted to do something more useful for my city and my country now,” she explains.
Back home, Tetiana spent several months taking courses for civilians who wanted to support the war effort, including first aid training. For a while, she considered joining the military. In the end, however, she chose to become a deminer.
“At first, I saw it as a major challenge. I wanted to test myself and find out whether I could do it, because it seemed both demanding and risky. Today, I don’t consider it dangerous as long as I follow the procedures. It is incredibly meaningful work, and I truly love doing it.”
