The Death of a Soldier. A Story Told by His Sister

«I would rather not have to write this book, for there to be no subject for it, for my brother to be alive instead of my book being published…» — these are the words with which Olesia Khromeychuk begins her story of loss, of a soldier's death, and of a sister's grief.

Volodymyr Pavliv, Olesia's brother, died on the front lines in 2017, a few years before the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine. «This is a European war that just started in eastern Ukraine,» he explained to his sister when he decided to return to the front lines. He was killed shortly thereafter. The war continues, and every day people die – defenders, loved ones, parents, children, brothers and sisters. And all we can do is learn to live with this loss. In this book, historian Olesia Khromeychuk shares her story. This is not just a personal tragedy, it is the story of tens of thousands of Ukrainian families, a story of loss and survival.

The book «The Death of a Soldier: A Story Told by His Sister» can help those who have lost a loved one find the strength to live on.