Diaries of War – Two Visual Accounts from Ukraine and Russia

by Lilian Nyamongo

Published a year into the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, Diaries of War follows Nora Krug’s acquaintances, K, a Ukrainian journalist and D, an anti-war Russian artist. Krug, a visual journalist interviewed K and D on their experiences to create a weekly illustrated diary to raise immediate awareness of the war. Their multifaceted identities and experiences on each side of the border highlight their thoughts on identity, patriotism, citizenship and human desire for normalcy as they weigh options for themselves and their loved ones. Krug’s use of unsophisticated, minimalistic, scrapbook-style art with hand lettering is reminiscent of composition notebook entries. The weekly entries are placed on left and right pages with the use of orange and green tones to differentiate K and D’s accounts of daily life, respectively.

Originally serialised in five leading Western dailies, this slim illustrated book examines the impact of the war on their bodies and minds. Readers will encounter K and her husband struggling with trauma as they have nightmares and hallucinations. Elsewhere, D experiences separation anxiety and homesickness as he’s constantly strategizing how he can get his family across the Russian border to nearby countries and possibly France at some point. K laments over her physical appearance as she notices the creeping of wrinkles, paler skin, darker eyes coupled with the loss of passion for life. She says: “I’m afraid of aging and I think I’ll end up looking much older than my actual age. I’m afraid I’ll die too early because my body can’t handle the trauma I’ve had to go through. I think that many Ukrainians will experience something like this. We spend so much time struggling, resisting and fighting. What for? There are so many beautiful things in the world. But tyrants, driven by madness destroy them [pg. 62].”  Krug also underscores how children cope in the face of war and possible ways parents can help them become emotionally resilient while revealing the truth in an age-appropriate manner. For example, on pg. 60-1, D’s children shield themselves from online propaganda campaigns while K’s 7-year-old is starting to grasp existential issues such as war and peace.

Like most of us, Krug seeks answers on civilians’ thoughts on guilt, sacrifice, reparation and retribution and overall, why do we wage wars and will we ever learn. Coming from a country that is a war aggressor, D grapples with collective versus personal guilt: “I’ve been thinking about the idea of guilt. As a Russian, I feel guilty. At the same time, I’m against the idea of collective guilt because I think that collective guilt stops you from confronting your personal guilt. Do I feel personal guilt? I don’t know. I worked hard over the years to try to change my country by exposing it to the international art world, and to the artists I invited to come to Russia. I understand now that wasn’t enough. But while I know that this work didn’t really change anything, I still hope that it reached some individuals. I don’t think I could have done more than I did [pg. 91].”

Reading Diaries of War gave me a new perspective on the lasting effects of war trauma beyond the battlefields. At the same time, I reflected on civilian solidarity during times of crisis and political calm. As a descendant of a “follower” – German who neither actively supported nor resisted the Nazi regime, Krug understands the importance of highlighting ambiguous and complex narratives while challenging us “…to critically confront our own passivity and the fallibility of our own moral integrity [pg. 11].”

The book ends on a sombre note as the Russian-Ukrainian war persists. Nonetheless, Diaries of War is a powerful reminder of journaling and documenting our experiences even in the bleakest of times. This will help us look the beyond the headlines, find nuances in experiences and hopefully foster better human connections.

Reviewer’s Information

Lilian Nyamongo holds a Master’s degree in Food Policy from the Centre for Food Policy at City St George’s, University of London. Her current career interests include building resilient agrifood systems, climate issues, evidence-driven policymaking and science communication. She enjoys thrifting books from charity shops, discovering London’s underhyped museums and catching up on the latest K-drama tropes.