Natalia Berestova

Today marks two years since the start of the war in Ukraine.
It’s a painful day for us.
I’ve never felt more Ukrainian than I do today.

Language and Identity

During my childhood, we spoke Russian more than Ukrainian—Russification had spread across the region, shaping how we communicated and even how we thought. But today, we reclaim our language. We speak Ukrainian proudly, savoring its rhythm, its melody, its soul.

A Life in Music

I’ve played the piano for almost sixty-five years. It has always made me feel alive, allowing me to express the inexpressible. Yet now, when I play, it feels different. It doesn’t just awaken my emotions—it awakens my country within me.

Since the war began, I’ve been performing in concerts across Switzerland, sharing the beauty of our Ukrainian culture, the stories of our people, and the pain we carry. The piano has become my bridge to home—a vessel of memory, resilience, and love. Through music, I carry Ukraine to the world.

Love and Loss

I worry deeply for my people back home—my neighbors, my friends, my community. Yet I love how this tragedy has united us. Our houses have become everyone’s houses. My home is now a refuge for soldiers who come to rest, to sleep, to regain strength before returning to the front lines.

This is the least we can do. They have not given up, and so neither will we.

Unbroken Spirit

I refuse to give up on my spirit. I refuse to sit in silence and do nothing. We are here for a reason—to live, to remember, to keep Ukraine alive in every corner of the world.

Back home, people defend our land with courage.
Here, in Switzerland and beyond, we defend it through music, through culture, through the unyielding spirit of Ukrainian freedom and resilience.