Biography
Who is Valeria Shashenok?
Early life and career
Valeria Shashenok was born in Chernihiv, Ukraine, on July 17, 2001. Her zodiac sign is Cancer. Before the war, she worked as a freelance photographer and used TikTok for her personal life and local businesses.
Wartime documentation
From February 24, 2022, until mid-March, Valeria lived in a bomb shelter in Chernihiv. She documented her family's survival and the destruction of her hometown in a comedic manner using English captions.
Her most prominent video featured the Sicilian song C'è la luna mezzo mare and received over 28 million views. She posted these videos to dispel negative stereotypes and combat fake news in Russian state media.
Leaving Ukraine
In mid-March, Valeria escaped alone to Poland without her passport, using documents from Ukraine's Diia app to cross the border. She traveled through Kyiv, Lviv, and Przemyśl, and eventually reached Warsaw via Łódź.
During her path, she was interviewed by several media outlets, including Telewizja Polska, CNN en Español, Cosmopolitan Italia, and la Repubblica.
Relocation and book release
By August 2022, Valeria lived in Italy as a refugee with relatives. She visited the European Parliament in September and met Olena Zelenska, the First Lady of Ukraine. In December 2022, her visa for the United Kingdom was accepted, and she moved to London.
In May 2022, she released a book containing her photographs and experiences of the war, first published in German as 24. Februar: Und der Himmel war nicht mehr blau.
Birthday and age
Valeria Shashenok was born on July 17, 2001, which makes Valeria 25 years old today. That birthday falls under the Cancer sign. Valeria shares the date with 30 other famous people.
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