“I learned to put myself back together piece by piece”

Veteran Tetiana Chudnovets on war and creativity as therapy

Tetiana Chudnovets is a sister-in-arms of the Vinnytsia branch of the VETERANKA movement, an ATO veteran, writer, and veteran support specialist in the Makhnivka community.

Since 2014, Tetiana volunteered, and in 2017 she joined the military as a volunteer and received the call sign “Podolianochka.” She became a senior riflewoman in the 46th Separate Assault Battalion “Donbas-Ukraine.” She shares that military service completely reshaped her vision of life.

For three years she fought in Donetsk and Luhansk regions. After sustaining an injury at the front, she was discharged for health reasons.

Today Tetiana devotes herself to helping veterans in her community.

An important part of her life is creativity, in which she found the strength to recover after what she experienced at the front. The veteran’s body of work includes the books “Prytamanna” and “Podolianochka. Unbreakable.” Her latest work about her path through war was published in August 2025 and immediately entered the list of nominees for the prestigious BBC Book of the Year award.

Together with Orlando Publishing House, the author is preparing a second print run of her book for the Book Arsenal festival. Through pre-ordering at the festival, readers can receive a signed copy of the book.

Pre-order at the link: https://www.orlando.ua/books-page/podolyanochka-unbreakable

Below is her direct speech.

From volunteering to the front

My path to the military in 2017 did not look like a “beautiful movie.” I was a teacher with experience in journalism, a mother, a volunteer. But at some point I realized that I could not simply wait for news from the front — I had to be there. It was a deliberate decision made by an adult person.

I served as a senior riflewoman in the assault company of the 46th Separate Battalion “Donbas-Ukraine.” I combined combat assignments with the duties of deputy company commander for moral and psychological support (the former political officer position).

Service taught me the main thing: war is not only heroism, it is hard daily work. The first rotation took place in the settlements of Travneve and Hladosove near Horlivka, the second — in the area of Novozvanivka beyond Popasna.

About the call sign “Podolianochka”

It did not appear by itself — that is what people called me. But it is also connected to my love for Podillia. At the front, it was my reminder of home, of peaceful, warm land. Later this name became the title of my book, because it explains best who I am.

The sisters-in-arms with whom I shared service

There were not many of us, and we held on to one another. My sisters-in-arms were “Vidma,” “Yatagan,” “Bonia,” and “Dusha.” When girls like that are beside you, you do not think about whether things are hard for you — you simply do your work.

The death of Yana “Vidma” Chervona is a wound that does not heal. We were different, but the war made us closer than blood relatives.

Most of all I remember the dawns in Donbas…

When the night finally ends and you see the first rays of the sun above the slag heaps. It is a moment of quiet gratitude: “We are alive, we made it through another night.” This is the light I tried to convey in my texts.

I admire the nature of Podillia, the history of Ukraine, and now this is my way of finding beauty and meaning after everything I have seen.

Trauma and severe concussion on the front line

During the second rotation in the Novozvanivka area in Luhansk region, I suffered a severe concussion and a spinal injury — I partially could not move and had speech impairments.

I went through the military medical commission: full physical recovery was no longer possible. After receiving the conclusion of limited fitness for service, I was demobilized for health reasons. For me it was a difficult period, but it was precisely this period that taught me how to put myself back together piece by piece.

My son is 33-year-old Andrii, who has defended Ukraine since 2014 and continues to serve to this day. At present he is stationed in the Sumy direction.

Life after service

Returning to civilian life was long and at times painful. I was fortunate to have the support of family and friends; we understand one another without unnecessary words.

Work became a true salvation. I realized: in order to help myself, I needed to help others. I completed training and became a veteran support specialist. Now I know that “our own” do not need long speeches — they need real support.

The power of writing and creativity as therapy

For me, writing is more than creativity — it is a powerful rehabilitation tool. I call it a “safe environment for pain.”

My authorial method consists in putting traumatic experience onto paper — it stops destroying you from within and becomes a text over which you have power. This makes it possible not only to share memories, but also to rethink them, transforming the memory of war into strength and resilience.

The book “Podolianochka. Unbreakable” — about the struggle for life

“Podolianochka. Unbreakable” is a story about how a Ukrainian woman passes through war and betrayal and tries to remain herself. The title “Unbreakable” is not about pathos, but about our essence: we Ukrainian women are like vines — we bend, but we do not break.

I began writing about my pain because the words simply demanded to come out. I wrote for a long time: sometimes with tears, sometimes with a smile. I wrote this book for those who now feel the same emptiness, so that they would know: you can be broken and still find the strength to rise and move forward.

I wanted to speak honestly about that state when you look at your children, your home, your friends, and feel nothing except emptiness.

My book is about what it is like to wage an inner war every day for the right simply to breathe, for the right not to flinch at every sound, and ultimately for the right to become alive again.

When I saw my book on the BBC Book of the Year 2025 list, my first thought was: “Wow, so my story truly matters.” It is pleasant, but the most important thing for me is the feedback from people who recognized themselves in these lines.

Now, together with Orlando Publishing House, we are preparing for this year’s international Book Arsenal festival. A second print run of “Podolianochka. Unbreakable” will be published. Pre-orders are already open, and I am eagerly awaiting the meeting with readers. The ordered book can be received with my signature during the autograph session scheduled as part of the event.

It is worth noting that “Podolianochka. Unbreakable” was written within the framework of the “Method Writing” course.

“Method Writing” is Jack Grapes’ authorial course. It has existed for 50 years. Since 2020, military personnel and veterans have studied through “Method”; for them the course is free. “Method” becomes a kind of therapy and helps transform lived experience into a literary work or a therapeutic journal. More details are available on the website https://www.methodwriting.com.ua/.

Books as stages of life

Overall, my body of work includes two books, each of which became a reflection of a certain stage of life and reflection:

“Prytamanna” (2017) — my first serious attempt to comprehend identity and what exactly makes us who we are.

“Podolianochka. Unbreakable” (2025) — a book in which I write about war, the pain of betrayal, return, and strength of spirit.

Ahead are new stories. A manuscript about living through the experience of a Ukrainian refugee after the war is already completed, and now I am working on a teenage ethno-fantasy novel.

Helping veterans and little granddaughter Leia

Today my “front line” is the Makhnivka community. I work as a specialist in support for veterans and demobilized persons at the Center for Social Services. Before that I completed a master’s degree in psychology and participated in a German project on psychological assistance for veterans and refugees.

Together with the NGO “Veterans of the Makhnivka Territorial Community,” we finally received premises for a hub. We are currently implementing the project “Veterans’ Courtyard ‘Circle of Fire’” (the creation of a space for adaptation, psychological rehabilitation, and socialization of veterans and members of their families — ed.).

At home, my youngest daughter, 12-year-old Kateryna, is waiting for me. In Vinnytsia — my granddaughter Leia. She is now 8 months old, learning to speak and making very confident attempts to stand on her little feet.

And my son — 33-year-old Andrii, who has defended Ukraine since 2014 — continues to serve today. At present he is stationed in the Sumy direction.

About motivation to keep living

Do not wait for someone to come and make your life perfect. We learned how to survive at the front — we will learn how to build here too. Look for “your own people,” do not be afraid to start from zero. You have already proven everything to yourself that needed to be proven. Now — simply live.