Actress Anna Yaremchuk-Bobalo is known to viewers for her roles in the theater, cinema and TV series (“The First Swallows. Dependents" In December 2022, she experienced the greatest loss in her life - her husband, director Oleg Bobalo, who volunteered to defend Ukraine, died at the front..

– Anna, tell us about your heroine in this film. – I want to say a few words about the film itself. For me this is a warm, bright story. About family, about clan, about the heritage that we receive from our ancestors. About the fact that roots need to be protected, because when a person does not remember where he came from, it is difficult for him to build a future. And, of course, it's also a love story.. As for my role, it's colorful. I play the priest's wife. In the story, my husband is appointed to serve in a rural church, and we come to look for housing. We find an old house that is for sale. The main thing for us is that it is close to the church. But strange, incomprehensible things begin to happen in this house.. Since my heroes are believers, they perceive this as a manifestation of evil spirits. And in the end they just run away from there. Although the role is small, it adds mood to the story..

– Generally speaking, how did the war affect the profession What is happening now with work in Ukrainian cinema – We have a lot of good actors, but, unfortunately, there are much fewer projects. There is a lot of competition. If we talk about this year, “Khutnik” is only my second work. And for an actor, the profession is not only a matter of earning money, but also a job that requires constant practice.. When this is not there, of course you are sad. And in my situation this is felt even more acutely. After the death of your husband, when you are left alone, work becomes not just a profession - it helps you live.

– If you can talk about it: how did you cope with the loss What helped me not to break down? – It helped me a lot to be discharged. I was just writing. On Facebook she published small sketches and memories of her husband. At first I wrote almost every day - I remembered our life, different stories, little things that I wanted to preserve. Work saved me. When you go on stage or work on set, you can put all the pain, all the emotions into the role. I also literally danced my pain. Since the beginning of the full-scale war I have been working at the Transcarpathian Regional Theater. I live in Kyiv, but I come there to work. For me it became a place of power. I remember the sound engineer just played music for me, and I danced on stage for hours until I fell. Couldn't stop for four hours straight.

I was looking for signs. You see a cloud in the shape of a heart - you know, this is hello to you. When it was very bad, I went into the forest and just shouted out my pain. And imagine: this is Kyiv, an ordinary forest, and not some Carpathians. And suddenly a roe deer runs out onto the path in front of me. Another time - fox. And every time it happened exactly when it was hardest. Or I found a small red heart made of fur. I understand that it probably just fell out of someone’s pocket. But why exactly at that moment, exactly at that second when I so need support? I believe in such things. I believe that our guys are nearby and help us, including through such small signs.

– When Oleg decided to volunteer to go to the front, what happened between you then What they talked about, what they felt? – We live in Bortnichi. When it all started on February 24, we woke up to explosions. I also said: “Yes, it’s probably some kind of truck rumbling.”. And Oleg: “No. It's all started, let's go" He wanted to take me and my mom west. Oleg is from Lviv, and I am from Crimea. Only in 2021 we were able to transport my mother from Simferopol to Kyiv. We run to my mom’s, and she’s standing in her nightgown, hands on her hips: “I’ve already left once - nowhere else.”. And we stayed. Oleg immediately went to Darnitsa territorial defense. It was a completely natural decision for him. Not because he was any special patriot, he was simply a citizen of his country. I thought that was exactly what I should do. And already on May 17, without telling me anything, he mobilized into the Armed Forces of Ukraine. And he might not have done it. But he himself insisted that they take him. Our neighbor was a military man, and Oleg constantly asked him to help with mobilization, even hinted at a bribe, but they took him anyway.

When he presented me with a fait accompli, I... You know, I loved him and love him so much that I understood one thing. If I forced him to stay home, we wouldn't be able to live together.. He would never forgive himself for this decision. And he wouldn't forgive me. I had no right to deprive him of the opportunity to be who he thought he should be. This is his choice, and I accepted it, no matter how scary it was. We have a daughter, she is now 24 years old. And we both understood: if we don’t stop the evil now, it will affect not only our children, but also our grandchildren. I didn't want this. My mother called my mother-in-law and begged: “Ira, stop him! But she replied: “I can’t stop him.. A man must defend his land" These words really stuck with me.

Therefore, now it pains me to look at all these discussions around mobilization, the TCC, statements of individual people, including those from my circle. On the one hand, I can’t just say loudly: “Everyone must go.”. Because I know what a terrible price this is. What is waiting, what is it like to lose the person you love most. But on the other hand, I think: if no one else stands up to defend the country, then why did my Olezhka die If, God forbid, the enemy comes here, there will be no place for my family. And you know, here I again return to the topic of heritage, which is raised in the film " I'm Crimean. Simferopol remained home for me for many years, although I have been living in Kyiv since 1996. I studied here, I work here, I love this city very much. But in my heart I always said: “My home is small, dear, beautiful Simferopol.”. And now everything has changed. Now on Kyiv soil, in the Forest Cemetery, my Olezhka lies. My home is here now. They often tell me: “Move to Transcarpathia. It's safer there, you have a job there" But I can't. It seems that if I leave, it will be as if I will leave him. I know this may not be entirely rational.. But you can't explain this to your heart.

– While Oleg was at the front, how did you keep in touch – In fact, he didn’t have time to fight for long. After February 24, while he was in territorial defense, he returned home almost every day. The only rule was: " This was very difficult for me. We were very close before the war. I could call him every five minutes and it was completely normal for us. But here you can't. He said: " The best I can do is tick the box." And so you write a message. Are you waiting for this plus sign like manna from heaven?. Or at least see that the message has been read - blue checkmarks. I saw it and already breathed a sigh of relief. When he was mobilized into the Ukrainian Armed Forces in May, there were first exercises. We called and corresponded. Then he was sent to the UK for two months. He was very capable. Already during training he was appointed squad commander. Promoted to the rank of junior sergeant.

Then, on November 28, they were sent to Bakhmut. There were rotations: several weeks in positions, then a short return, then departure again. He came home and left again on December 18. Before leaving, he said the same thing: “Anya, don’t call.”. I just texted him and looked at the phone. Blue ticks appeared? So everything is fine. I wrote on December 19. The ticks didn't turn blue. I wrote again - nothing. I reassured myself: I’m probably in position, there’s no connection. I remember asking him earlier: “How long will it take for me to start worrying He said: “Well, let’s do it this way – in a month.”. And then I thought: “Only a day has passed”. And I kept waiting for these blue checkmarks to appear..

The next morning, my mother and I are walking through the market, and people are somehow alarmed, I hear: “That night, many of our people from Bortnichi died.”. I thought: " It can't be about us." In the evening I’m lying at home, there’s no light, I’m reading a book under a small lamp.. And suddenly, out of the corner of my eye, I see that Oleshka is next to me. I turn my head - no one. I turn away again - he’s lying down. And so three times. Then she said out loud: “Please, you’re alive, don’t lie here. Please be alive. " This has never happened in my entire life. And at eight the commander called. He said that Oleg died.

- They told you how it happened? – They drove at night near Kleshcheevka. Oleg might not have gone on this mission. But the situation was difficult - our guys could be surrounded. We left for evacuation. The guys survived. They told me that during the night they repulsed three attacks by the Wagnerites. Oleg had already gotten into the car to return, but noticed that one of his brothers-in-arms was missing. He told the others to go without him, but he stayed to wait for another car and look for his friend. It was at this moment that the mortar attack began. A shrapnel hit him in the head. The brothers said that even for such a strong body as his, it was seconds. Maximum twenty eight. You see, if he had died in the battle itself, but no: they survived, he won. But fate decreed otherwise.

– How did your daughter react to this terrible news - She and dad were best friends. You know, I always joked that I’m a bad cop at home, and dad is a good one. Even before the full-scale invasion, Lisa left for Prague. This was in January 2022. I really wanted to study there; I studied Czech in Kyiv and flew away to prepare for admission.. A month later a big war began. When she found out that dad had gone to the front, she said: “Mom, how did you let him go I'm so afraid for him" And literally a day or two before his death she wrote to me: “I dreamed that my dad died. That we are burying him. “I began to reassure her: “On the contrary, this is a good dream, they say that after such a thing a person will live a long time.”. And then came that morning. The worst thing was to call my daughter. I dialed the number. She says: " I said: " She immediately started asking: “Mom, what happened " When she came out, she said only one phrase: “Dad died.”. And her cry. I will never forget him in my life. Then Lisa said that at that moment she simply fell to her knees in a dirty puddle near the bus stop. Fell and screamed. And again I was convinced: our deceased relatives do not leave us, they are nearby. When Lisa felt bad after my words, a man suddenly appeared at that stop. As he later said, he has lived in Prague for more than twenty years, he is Ukrainian himself. He ran up: \? " And just sat next to her until her friends arrived. The very next day after her father's death, Lisa asked permission to adopt a cat. He turned out to be seriously ill, she treated him for several months and eventually saved him. It seems to me that this care helped her gradually return to life. Now we have Semyon in Prague. Semyon Olegovich.

After her father’s death, Lisa said: “I’ll go into the army, you won’t dissuade me.”. I even started getting ready. Went to shooting ranges, learned how to handle weapons. I wanted to become a drone operator. But Oleg’s colleagues began to dissuade her. They said: “Your dad died so that you could live, so that you would be safe.. Study, work. We need living Ukrainians. After all, who will we fight for then if there is no one left " She's feeling a little better now. Gradually returned to life, found a business that inspires. Works at a language school. Helps Ukrainian children who ended up abroad due to the war.

– You were born in Crimea. What does this peninsula mean to you today Are there any relatives left there – I still have the graves of my relatives in Crimea. Dad is buried there. He was only 60 years old, his heart could not stand it. I am sure that it was this “Russian spring” that killed him.. All those events, the occupation, the constant pressure. He just didn't get over it. Dad remained himself until the very end. Greeted with the words “Glory to Ukraine”, spoke Ukrainian. I really asked him to move to Kyiv, I just begged for it. My mother and I persuaded him together. But he answered: “This is my land, and I will not leave it.. Let them go" This is a very painful topic for me.

I am a native Crimean. Our ancestors lived there generation after generation. Therefore, it hurts to hear when they say that Crimeans voluntarily voted in that pseudo-referendum. I know Crimeans whose families have lived on this land for generations. And there were also those who came to Crimea - mainly military families from different regions of Russia. These are completely different stories. My mother has been living in Kyiv for several years, but still can’t get used to it. Constantly freezing. Says he misses home. And I understand her, because the earth is not just a place on the map. These are the roots, the memory of the family. She worries about our graves. Her parents, grandfather, grandmother, great-grandfather, great-grandmother are buried there.

Our relatives stayed there. At the beginning of a full-scale war, they called us while we were sitting in a shelter under fire and said: “Be patient, you will be released now.”. " Although among my classmates there were many people who supported Ukraine. But what is happening now in Crimea. This is a completely different reality. I realized one thing: the most terrible weapon is propaganda.. We are still losing in many ways in the information war. And I don't know what to do about it.

I remember well the first days of the occupation of Crimea. I saw everything with my own eyes. We have a house on Moskolets, in the center of Simferopol, near the Krym department store.. Repeaters were installed there, and Russian music sounded from them around the clock, phrases like: “Crimea has returned to its native harbor” were heard.. This was repeated endlessly. And you know, when a person hears the same thing every day, every hour, it gets stuck in his head. Then my mother said that strange videos were constantly playing on TV. For just a minute it sounded on the screen: “Russia. Russia. Russia. " Isn't this an attempt to penetrate the human mind

I had a best friend who was pro-Ukrainian. After the start of a full-scale war, we corresponded. I once confessed to her: “Perhaps this is bad, but I want people in Russia and occupied Crimea to feel at least a little bit what we feel.”. She replied: “Anya, this is a normal desire.. This is not revenge, but a desire for justice." Later she wrote: “It’s still calm here in Simferopol. But it will be as it will be"

And then the moment came when the war began to reach Crimea. After one of the most terrible nights in Kyiv, when during a massive shelling not far from our house there was a hit, I recorded a video at three o’clock in the morning. I posted it on social networks and remembered the satirical nursery rhyme about how Russia just can’t get away from us. And you know what my friend wrote to me: “Anya, why are you bombing Crimea Isn't Ukraine a terrorist It’s the Ukrainian side that is hitting our power plants.. We have been sitting without electricity and gasoline for a month now.. " A man who was absolutely pro-Ukrainian began to speak in the words of Russian television. At home, entire neighborhoods are being wiped off the face of the earth.. And they complain that a month without gasoline and electricity. In Crimea, where it’s warm, where even without electricity, this is a completely different level of challenge.

I then wrote to her: “In winter, people were sitting in apartments where it was plus seven degrees, when outside it was minus 25. And now you compare this with that? " And this is a man I've known all my life. We sat at the same desk, studied at the same school. We had a wonderful history teacher. We knew what Stalinist repressions were, what communism was, what the Soviet government did. And even she was able to change her mind.

Mom often asks me: “How will we live after de-occupation How will we communicate with these people " I believe that Crimea will return to Ukraine. Moreover, it seems to me that this process has already begun. And I'll wait for that day. Mom sometimes says: “Oh, I probably won’t live long enough.”. And I answer her: “We will definitely wait”. And then she asks again: “How will we live next to these people

– We recently had an interview with director Sergei Kulibishev, who is from Kerch. He said almost the same thing. They say that after de-occupation we will have to live next to people “with whom we see the past, present and future very differently.”. - And I know how I will live with them side by side! I just won't communicate. I don't need their approval. I need my land, my sea, my Crimea. But I never tried to please everyone. It’s just that now I won’t give this infection a single chance to germinate again.. Because it’s like a cancerous tumor: if you don’t stop it, it grows. We were too tolerant: \? Well, okay - this is Crimea" For too long we turned a blind eye to something that couldn't be ignored.. I remember how Russian TV channels were removed in Crimea. There was so much indignation: “How can we live without them now " The then “1+1”, Konstantin Grubich’s programs – it was really high-quality content. I remember another moment. Once we went to the cinema, I don’t remember with whom exactly. We watched the film, we went out, and I asked: “Well, how do you like the translation " And I say: “You didn’t even notice that the whole film was in Ukrainian? " People quickly got used to it. We watched Ukrainian TV channels, good programs, intellectual programs. It was interesting. Then I didn’t even notice when everything started to change. Satellite dishes appeared, Russian TV channels returned. Propaganda returned with them.

– Anya, at that time you were filming a lot. Probably, we often worked on the same set with Russian actors. How they were in communication? – Yes, there were a lot of Russian actors. But the problem still wasn’t with them.. And in our producers, assistants, administrators. Sorry for the crude language, but that was some total ass licking.. I remember well that for Russian actors there are separate dressing rooms, special treatment, service. And the Ukrainian actors sat together in a small bus or a common room. It was like we were second class citizens. It really hurt.

Personally, the Russians communicated normally with me. But, I think, because when you know your worth and don’t try to please anyone, then no one will wipe their feet on you. But there was one incident that stuck in my mind. Olezhka was then working as a second director on the set in Belarus and took me with him. I was given a small role. And the main role in that film was played by Russian actor Denis Nikiforov. It was, I think, 2008 or 2009. And you know what he told me then: “We will take Crimea away from you”. I answered very briefly: “Choke.”. And I remember one more moment well. My mother worked as a virologist at the Republican Sanitary and Epidemiological Service in Simferopol. Already in 2010, calendars were brought to them at a government office. And on them there was a map where Ukraine as a state did not exist - it was designated as part of the “Russian provinces”. There were " It was 2010, you know.? That is why it is strange for me to hear when one of the Crimeans now says: “If it weren’t for the Maidan, everything would be fine.”. But no. Even before the Maidan, the Russians were promoting their narratives, already preparing the ground. They tried to impose on people the idea that Ukraine as an independent state does not exist.

– Anya, you are from Crimea, Oleg is from Lvov. How did you find each other? – This is all a theater institute (smiles). It was probably love at first sight. There was some kind of student holiday. A guy I knew was sitting in front of me. I called: “Pashka, hello! " And another guy turned around with him. Hairy, blond, with big ears, a wide smile. Very charismatic, with an absolutely cinematic appearance. And then it turned out that he also lives next to me in the hostel - on the floor above.

Before meeting me, he had never been to Crimea, and I had never seen Lvov. And when he first took me to get acquainted with his city, he did it for a reason, but on Easter. For a girl from Simferopol it was a culture shock. After all, we grew up in Crimea in Soviet traditions. Grandma could bake an Easter cake and bless it. But there were no big celebrations. And in Lvov I saw a different world. People dressed up festively, went to church, there was so much light and joy around. It was like I was in another Ukraine. The same thing happened with St. Nicholas Day. It was not celebrated in Simferopol, I didn’t even know about such a tradition. And then one morning I wake up, and under my pillow lies a small toy kitten.. I ask: “What is this " Nikolai brought this to you" And then I discovered other traditions. For example, watering Monday after Easter. You get off the minibus, and the children can throw water on you so that you become completely wet (laughs). This is how we lived. We weren't just husband and wife. We were best friends. I always say: the secret to a happy relationship is for the person you love to be your best friend at the same time.. We trusted each other absolutely. Oleg rarely said: “I love you”. I was even offended: “Why don’t you tell me this " He was a man of action. He didn’t utter pretentious phrases about patriotism, didn’t tell how much he loves Ukraine. He just silently went to protect her.

– By the way, you have interesting double surnames in your documents. You are Yaremchuk-Bobalo, and he, on the contrary, is Bobalo-Yaremchuk. How did this happen? - It's a funny story. We got married in Simferopol. My maiden name is Yaremchuk, Oleg’s is Bobalo. At the registry office they asked us what surname we would take. I honestly said: “Olezhka, I don’t want to be Bobalo.”. He immediately replied: “Then I will be Yaremchuk.”. But the registry office employee explained that this would create a lot of trouble with documents. Then Oleg suggested: “Let’s both take double surnames.”. This is how Yaremchuk-Bobalo and Bobalo-Yaremchuk appeared - according to the rules, they put their own surname first. We were immediately told that we would have to spend our entire lives explaining why this was so (laughs). And most of all, my dad was happy about this - he liked that Oleg did not give up his last name, but at the same time took ours.

– Anya, what do you dream about in your profession today – I really want to work intensively. And, you know, I won’t be modest: I think I can do a lot. I already have roles that I'm proud of. My one-man show “I wish I had been born a cat” received the main award at the international festival in Mongolia, and with “Hamlet” we represented Ukraine at the World Shakespeare Festival in Shanghai.

I want to be appreciated not someday, then. Not after, God forbid, a rocket hits. I don’t want people to say later: “What a talent she was.”. It's a pity that I played so little" I want to work now. I dream of a big, complex role. I love thrillers and fantasy, I really want more children’s films to be made in Ukraine. And, of course, I’m looking forward to the release of “Khutnik”.

Very soon another important project for me will be released - the film “Life”. These are five short stories, I starred in one of them - a story about two sisters. One lives in western Ukraine, the other in Kyiv. One has a son who is fighting, and the other doesn’t know how to admit that she is going to take her 18-year-old son abroad. The whole novel is actually their conversation. I play both sisters. It's a huge responsibility. It seems that the short story lasts about fifteen minutes, and almost all this time it’s just me on the screen.

I think we are finally beginning to realize that cinema is not just entertainment or a way to make money.. These are the stories that shape people.. Culture is also a weapon, and the war proved this. This is why we need to talk about Ukraine constantly, both here and abroad.. Recently, after another massive attack, I wrote on Facebook in English an appeal to people around the world: “They are killing us. It's already 2026. Don't we have the right to live, love and not fear for our lives " People from different countries wrote to me. Then I realized one simple thing: you can’t be silent.. We have to say it again and again. Because while we are talking, the world remembers. So I'm very grateful to you for this conversation.. For me, every opportunity to talk about my Oleg is a great happiness. I want people to know what he was like.