After the death of Denis Tarasov, a Zaporizhzhia activist and soldier, in January of this year, his wife Kateryna Tarasova did not stop fighting for the park in the city center. The park was destroyed even before the start of the full-scale invasion in order to give space to build a new shopping center. The history of this park is famous for Zaporizhzhia – a city that constantly suffered from toxic emissions of large enterprises. Moreover, here in the heart of the industrial city, when people have nothing to breathe, the oligarchs remove the “lungs” – completely cut down the green zone. Instead, they propose to build a modern shopping center. The fight for the park continues to this day.

Meanwhile, our heroine managed to get the park, which used to have the name of Yalanskyi, to be renamed in honor of Denis.

Today, the woman is raising two children—the younger Klim and the older Varia.

Kateryna travels with children. Unfortunately, already without a husband. However, the woman does not lose hope for better changes in the country, nor does she lose contact with her hometown. She hopes that the time will come when Zaporizhzhia will become a city-park.

“I have always been an optimistic person. I looked for the positive in everything, even in our rather depressed city. When Denys died, it became clear that it is necessary to continue his work, this is very important. Because now the people of Ukraine are experiencing one common collective trauma, pain, horror, despair”.

A conversation with Kateryna is about how not to lose hope and have the strength to fight for justice, believe in Victory, change life for the better.