In February 2024 Ieva Balsiūnaitė produced a radio documentary about two young Ukrainian soldiers whose fight for their country began when they joined the Euromaidan protests. One of them, Kostia, was only 13 then. In July Ieva learned that Kostia was killed on the frontline. He was 23.

Kostia left a farewell letter in which he detailed how his funeral and mourning should unfold. He wanted no black clothes, no tears, and no traditional rituals. Instead, there should be glitter on his friends’ cheeks, Ukrainian songs, and laughter celebrating Kostia’s life.

“There will be no quotes or lessons from me because I am nobody,” he wrote. “But it would be great if you got involved in rebuilding Ukraine, organized cultural events, gathered together, traveled, tried something new, and accepted new challenges.”

At his mother’s request, Kostia’s ashes were scattered in different parts of the world. A small part also made it to Lithuania. Ieva arranged that the ashes be brought to Lithuania, collected memories from Kostia’s family and friends, and decided to tell a more detailed story.

Author and sound designer: Ieva Balsiūnaitė

Editor: Inga Janiulytė-Temporin

English translation: Ieva Balsiūnaitė, Justinas Šuliokas

English subtitles: Adomas Zubė

Cover photo by Benas Gerdžiūnas

Official selection for the EBU Audio Storytelling Festival 2025, Vilnius.

Nominated for the PRIX EUROPA 2025