As the entire world watches the events unfolding in Ukraine with heavy hearts and unspeakable sadness, a little girl has brought tears to the eyes of millions with her beautiful song and heartbreaking surroundings.
Little Amelia is one of the countless people currently bunkered down in a Ukrainian bomb shelter due to the Russian invasion. Marta Smekhova is another. Marta recently shared a video of Amelia singing ‘Let it Go’ to Facebook and the world has responded.
A gut-wrenching reminder
As Amelia stands with her wide eyes and beautiful smile, you can hear the muddled background noises – babies crying, people talking, faint coughs, and movements.
However, all this stops as soon as Amelia opens her mouth and begins to sing Frozen’s Let it Go.
Maria pans out to the audience, and their current surroundings – a tiny bunker filled with whatever clothes, toys and food they could find. Babies in prams. Children clinging to their mothers. Cold benches for beds. Backpacks stuffed with as many items they could grab before fleeing their home.
The other people in the bomb shelter are silent as they listen to this little girl. Her voice radiates beauty in such an awful situation. Her song, a gut-retching reminder that war affects everyone, including children.
According to the LA Times, the vast majority of Ukrainian refugees are women and children, Reports estimate that between 80,000-100,000 people have been crossing the 300-mile border between Ukraine and Poland every day since the invasion.
‘Our children radiate light, and even in the damp dark basement it does not fade, but ignites even brighter’
The video, which was posted on 4 March 2022, has since been seen by over 3 million people. Even the original Elsa, Idina Menzel shared the video on her Twitter, writing, “We see you. We really, really see you.” She accompanied her tweet with blue and yellow hearts, the colors of Ukraine’s flag.
Alongside the video, Marta shares these powerful words:
NOTE: This has been translated into English through Google Translator and edited for clarity.
Seeing in one of the Kiev bomb shelters, how children draw bright pictures in the dim light, I, of course, could not pass by in silence … [I] stopped, praised, offered to make a small exhibition to somehow decorate this not very joyful place …
[Drawing] together – a boy and a girl … the girl turned out to be so sociable, so talkative …
[She] told [me] that in addition to drawing she loves to sing … and whispered her dream that she wants to sing on the big stage in front of the audience …
‘So what’s the matter? – I say, do you see how many people are here? Here for them you will sing !!!From the first word in the bomb shelter there was complete silence … everyone put off their business and listened to a song performed by this girl who just radiated light … even men couldn’t hold back tears …
[I] promised that many people will see it! Amelia really wanted that …
Amelia, your singing did not leave anyone indifferent!
Look, Russians, against whom you are at war!
Only a coward can fight against civilians, take away the childhood of defenseless children!
You let your children stew, making them cannon fodder … and our children radiate light, and even in the damp dark basement it does not fade, but ignites even brighter!
And the whole world applauds our children!”
We sing alongside of you Amelia. We see you. We hear you. We support you and every person impacted by this war.
