Sashko Danylenko Uses Animation to Bring Attention to the War in Ukraine

by Jas Keimig

Illustrator and filmmaker Sashko Danylenko remembers Feb. 24, 2022, clearly.

It was the night Russian military forces invaded his home country of Ukraine, following months of aggressive buildup. Currently based in Bellevue, Danylenko — like many Ukrainians living in the United States — could only watch from afar as tanks and soldiers began to bomb and occupy the buildings and streets he called home. Because of the 10-hour time difference, he was awake watching the news unfold in real time, alerting some of his sleeping friends and family across Ukraine of the updates as they happened.

"The first couple of days, it was just like checking and watching the news 24/7, checking channels on Twitter and Telegram, subscribing to new pages to see what was happening," said Danylenko. "Then, you feel like you can burn out with all those emotions because you're really angry. I wanted to transform that energy into something helpful."

So he did what he knew he could do — create and connect. Alongside other designers, editors, filmmakers, and creatives on the internet as the war started, Danylenko helped to archive footage coming out of Ukraine (building "evidence of war crimes," he said), translate news from Ukrainian to English and French, and organize information about tactical medicine and the like to aid Ukrainian resistance.

While doing what he could to help the effort from afar, a big part of organizing was also about keeping himself and his community busy during this time of violence and uncertainty. "It was really important for me to keep my mind stable," he said. "Because I focused on those projects, I've met a lot of amazing people online who were able to volunteer on all these causes."

Born in Lozova, Ukraine, in 1989, Danylenko started getting into animation and illustration in 2010 and, in the years since, has made illustrations and short films that are informative and playful, folksy and contemporary, pulled from a deep curiosity about the world around him. Prior to the Russia—Ukraine war, his work ran the gamut of topics — a short film about popular bikes around the world and what they reveal about the riders; animated music videos for rock bands like Kalush, TNMK, and DakhaBrakha; a dazzlingly animated film detailing the history of Ukraine (in five minutes).

"I really love to find and synthesize inspiration from unpredictable sources. For instance, I can get inspiration for animation from a documentary film about typefaces," said Danylenko. "Music, skateboarding, BMX videos … a lot of creativity comes from those things."

Danylenko started to travel around the United States in 2015, bouncing around places like New York and Washington, D.C., for years. In 2017, he visited Seattle as part of a residency and fell in love with the natural beauty of the region. Once COVID-19 hit in 2020 and remote working became an option, Danylenko seized on the opportunity to set up camp here, where he's been ever since. After Feb. 24, 2022, Danylenko harnessed his observational and emotional modes of storytelling to aid in elevating the Ukrainian cause and drawing attention to the humanitarian crises occurring among the ordinary Ukrainian people as a result of Russian invasion.

Now, nearly a year and a half since the war began, Ukraine has been transformed by the devastating impacts of war. Data from the UN Refugee Agency shows that almost 8 million Ukrainians have been forced to flee their homes and communities to seek refuge across the United States and Europe, with close to 6 million internally displaced in the country. In the Puget Sound region alone, more than 16,000 Ukrainian refugees are now settling in here, according to KING 5. And in light of the continuing war, Danylenko continues to focus on merging his activism and his creative practice to bring attention and money to those in need.

Here in Seattle, Danylenko has gotten involved with the local community to elevate the Ukrainian war effort. Last summer, he exhibited his illustrations in "Superheroes Among Us" at Das Schaufenster, a window gallery in Ballard. His illustrations on canvas depict ordinary real-life Ukrainians from all walks of life aiding in the effort against Russian military forces — anonymous hackers, military psychologists, doctors, and even two sisters dedicated to saving cats (really!). Half of all proceeds from the sale of each canvas were donated to volunteers, nonprofits, the people depicted in each, as well as the Ukrainian army.

Additionally, Danylenko featured Seattle in a series of illustrations merging elements of cities — in Seattle's case, the Space Needle, orcas, umbrellas, ferries, guitars, and the like — into a blue and yellow trident on Ukraine's coat of arms as a show of solidarity. If you've ever been to a protest of the war in the city, you've likely seen his illustrations on signs calling out Russia.

Much of Danylenko's work also happened on a more national and international scale — he hosts a Ukrainian-language podcast on Ukraine with his wife, Kasia, called Profdeformation; he created a Galaxian-esque arcade game called Ukraine Will Win; and he composed a short animated film series on how to combat stress as part of the All-Ukrainian Mental Health Program initiative of Olena Zelenska, the First Lady of Ukraine. When we spoke over Zoom, he'd recently got back from the Annecy International Animation Film Festival in France, where he served as a representative of the Ukrainian animation film industry, making connections with other creators and producers for potential cross-national projects.

"Working with media and art is a great opportunity to meet amazing people. The main purpose of all culture is to make humans more human," said Danylenko of his work. "I feel like this is somehow a responsibility."

As for the future, Danylenko is focused on helping out with day-to-day activities, like communicating with friends and family in Ukraine and coordinating efforts to get money and supplies where they are needed. He's also working on developing longer-term features and TV series with creatives he's met during this process.

"Right now, we are trying to use any tools available to tell the stories of what's happening in Ukraine with the war Russia started," said Danylenko. "And animation is one of those tools."

📸 Featured Image: Sashko Danylenko is an illustrator and filmmaker who uses his art to call attention to the crisis in Ukraine. (Photo by Kasia Zabavko/Sashko Danylenko)