The book On One’s Own Skin was presented at Sens Bookstore in Kyiv

On January 20, a presentation of the book On One’s Own Skin by journalist Svitlana Oslavska took place at Sens Bookstore in Kyiv.

Despite another shelling and power and water outages on the left bank of the city, people made their way to the city center to take part in the discussion about the experience of occupation, testimonies of war crimes, and what helps people survive and speak after what they have lived through.

On One’s Own Skin is the result of Svitlana Oslavska’s work between 2022 and 2024. During this time, she documented testimonies of people who survived the Russian occupation in Snihurivka, Shevchenkove, Yahidne, and other towns and villages. During the presentation, the author spoke about how these stories were collected and the principles by which they were selected for the book.

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The focus was not only on documenting crimes. The book includes testimonies that go beyond a chronological account of violence — stories that contain something more: what helped people endure, hold on, and later bear witness. This dimension was one of the key considerations for the author.

The book has a varied structure. It brings together testimonial monologues, reportage, and essays — Oslavska’s reflections on what happens to individuals and communities that have lived through occupation, as well as on the journalist’s work with such material. According to the author, this structure helps avoid overwhelming the reader, given the difficulty of the subject matter.

You can read an excerpt from the book in Ukrainian on our Life in War website.

The book is available for purchase on the publisher’s website.