‘I need to do everything now’: the Ukrainian combat medic-turned playwright

Alina Sarnatska’s Military Mama tells the story of an ordinary woman’s experience in the army, tackling motherhood, sexism and mental health problems. Photograph: Oleg Palchyk

Eighteen months ago, Alina Sarnatska was serving as a combat medic on Ukraine’s frontline – including in the hellish battle for Bakhmut – and had barely been to the theatre.

Six months later, she was preparing to watch the premiere of her first play in Kyiv. Now Sarnatska, 38, has several dramas under her belt and is emerging as one of Ukraine’s most powerful voices in the theatre.