Award-winning Ukrainian writer dies of injuries suffered in Russian missile attack on restaurant

Renowned Ukrainian author Victoria Amelina, who was highly commended for her literary contributions, tragically succumbed to injuries following a brutal Russian missile strike on a restaurant, PEN America announced.

The 37-year-old writer, who had transitioned her focus from literature to documenting Russian atrocities after the invasion, met her unfortunate end post the missile strike on June 27 in Kramatorsk, eastern Ukraine. The news was confirmed by PEN America, an international literature and human rights association, in an official announcement on Sunday.

Oleksandr Tkachenko, Ukraine’s Minister of Culture, extended his heartfelt condolences to Amelina’s bereaved family, placing the blame squarely on Russia. He emphasized that Russia must face severe punishment for every life lost and every silenced voice on Ukrainian soil.

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The tragic loss of Amelina, a figure of immense promise, was mourned by her friends, peers, and admirers. Journalist Olga Tokariuk, a close associate, lamented her untimely death on Twitter. She mourned the potential books left unwritten, stories untold, and days unlived.

Historian Olesya Khromeychuk took to Twitter to remember Victoria for her brave work in documenting Russian atrocities, noting the tragic irony of her death caused by the very crime she was investigating.

The ruthless attack, which took place during the restaurant’s busiest hours, claimed at least 11 lives and left 61 people injured. A man was taken into custody by Ukrainian authorities the next day, accused of aiding Russia in coordinating the attack.

Despite political and military upheavals at home, Russia’s relentless attacks on Ukraine, including the one on the day of the restaurant bombing, underscore that the Kremlin is not relenting.

Amelina’s demise was announced by PEN Ukraine once her family had been informed. She was visiting Kramatorsk with a group of Colombian writers and journalists at the time of her death, as part of her ongoing work documenting Russian war crimes with the human rights group Truth Hounds.

Amelina, a celebrated author, was praised by Polina Sadovskaya, Eurasia director at PEN America, for using her distinct voice and literary approach to reveal the truth about war crimes following the full-scale military invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Amelina, born on January 1, 1986, in Lviv, launched her writing career with her debut novel “The November Syndrome, or Homo Compatiens” in 2014. She went on to create two acclaimed children’s books and another novel, earning national and international awards including the UNESCO City of Literature Prize and the European Union Prize for Literature. Her work has been translated into several languages worldwide.

In 2021, she established the New York Literature Festival in a small town called New York in Ukraine’s Donetsk region. From the outset of the invasion, Amelina committed herself to documenting Russian war crimes in eastern Ukraine.

Amelina also discovered the diary of Volodymyr Vakulenko, a Ukrainian writer killed by the Russians, in Kapytolivka near Izium. She poignantly described the experience of Soviet conformists caught in the crossfire of the 2014 Russian invasion, focusing on the story of Hanna, an elderly woman longing for her home, despite the conflict.

Amelina was working on her first nonfiction work in English, “War and Justice Diary: Looking at Women Looking at War,” before her tragic death. In it, she narrates the stories of Ukrainian women gathering evidence of Russian war crimes. The book is anticipated to be published soon, as confirmed by PEN Ukraine.

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More about Victoria Amelina’s Death

• Victoria Amelina’s literary works
• Truth Hounds: Documenting War Crimes
• PEN America’s Official Statement
• Russian invasion of Ukraine
• UNESCO City of Literature Prize
• European Union Prize for Literature