Polina Zherebtsova

Overview

Polina Zherebtsova born Grozny, Chechnya, USSR March 20, 1985. Russian-Chechen diarist who chronicled the terror of three wars, including her wounding at age 14. Reported on war crimes; exiled, 2012.

Quotations

"People came over and told us that the missile that had fallen on the market, the one that had wounded me, had been launched from the Caspian. Journalists had uncovered this news. Within only five days, the Russian army had admitted it. They had aimed the missile at another target—at the stock exchange building—but they missed. It fell on the peaceful market.
I just cannot believe that this is the third war in my life! The first was in 1994 (I was nine years old); the second, in the summer of 1996 (from 6-22 August; I am 11 years old) – how many neighbours perished then! And here’s the third one. Autumn, 1999 (I am fourteen)." (diary, October 29, 1999; photo wordyu.ru)