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After a year witnessing Russia's invasion of Ukraine, S'porean Ix Shen is home to warn that no drill can simulate reality of war

SINGAPORE — After a year of witnessing Russia's invasion of Ukraine first-hand, former television actor Ix Shen is back in Singapore with the goal of warning people here that they are unprepared for the harrowing realities of war that he faced.

Former television actor Ix Shen, 50, who spent last year in or near Ukraine amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Former television actor Ix Shen, 50, who spent last year in or near Ukraine amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

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  • Singaporean Ix Shen, who spent a year in and near Ukraine during the Russian invasion, returned to visit Singapore earlier this month
  • He is giving talks to youths and emergency services frontliners here to help them better understand the realities of war
  • Mr Shen said that while emergency drills are important, they are insufficient to prepare people for a crisis, as people may behave differently during an actual emergency
  • The former actor is also finalising details of a memoir he has written about his time in Ukraine

SINGAPORE — After a year of witnessing Russia's invasion of Ukraine first-hand, former television actor Ix Shen is back in Singapore with the goal of warning people here that they are unprepared for the harrowing realities of war that he faced.

Mr Shen, 50, told TODAY that he believed Singaporeans are "far-removed" from what war really means and that while doing emergency drills is important, during a crisis people may not behave as they do in a drill. 

He described hearing gunfire and the sound of bombs as he sheltered in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv with his Ukrainian wife Natalia at the start of Russia's military assault, one year ago on Feb 24, 2022.

While spending most of a harrowing 2022 in or near Ukraine, Mr Shen said that he often visualised how Singaporeans would react if a similar situation were to befall the island nation.

"I anticipated a lot of situations that I think would be helpful (to share with) Singaporeans, because these are areas that you will not be able to simulate in a drill or an exercise," he said. 

Since he returned earlier this month, he has participated in several focus groups arranged by Nexus, a branch of the Ministry of Defence that oversees both national education and total defence initiatives.

He has spoken to students, business leaders as well as frontliners from the Singapore Civil Defence Force, among other groups. 

"They find my information very useful, because I can share my experience of community behaviour under duress," he said. 

Mr Shen said while drills are useful, they cannot simulate the confronting reality of a war-time situation.

He drew a parallel with the Covid-19 pandemic, and the response of Singaporeans to the rules that were put in place.

"When Covid-19 started, people did not expect (members of public) to have heated arguments with safe-distancing ambassadors," he said. 

This was because when doing drills, everyone was agreeable while playing a role, but tempers flared during the pandemic itself. 

"When the situation changes, people change, and you cannot have a drill for it... I can only share my experience so people can factor in that anticipation." 

Mr Shen said the lack of awareness of Singaporeans was underscored for him when people back home began telling that his social media posts on events unfolding in the war-torn country were gaining him more followers.

He said he was shocked by the reaction, as the last thing he was interested in was attracting more social media followers.

“I posted the videos onto my Instagram account because I did not know if it would be the last video I ever posted,” Mr Shen told TODAY last week. 

I posted the videos onto my Instagram account because I did not know if it would be the last video I ever posted.
Former television actor Ix Shen
Still, having been in Ukraine's capital Kyiv in the lead-up to the war, he understands why Singaporeans may feel quite removed from the possibility of war.

Even though he was on the ground in Kyiv as Russian forces massed on the border, Mr Shen said that he still felt back then that the outbreak of war was extremely unlikely.

Asked what he hoped young people would take away from his experiences, Mr Shen said tongue-in-cheek that young people have the tendency to reject and resent what is told to them. 

However, he did say that his talks with young people are akin to providing a metaphorical "bunker" where they could hunker down in a future crisis. 

"Some Ukrainian houses have bunkers dug underneath by their great-grandparents during the Second World War, so their great-grandchildren have a place to hide," he said. 

"This is because their great-grandparents bothered to put in the effort to dig the bunkers so that the future generation has a place to be protected, and this is why I'm doing this." 

AN 'UNFATHOMABLE' WAR 

Like many Singaporeans, Mr Shen said that the thought of a war in Ukraine occurring was unfathomable to him just over a year ago. 

He had moved to Kyiv at the end of 2021 to reunite with his wife amid Covid-19 travel restrictions at that time. His wife has her own traditional Chinese medicine practice, while he was looking to start a health business. 

He met his wife when she was studying in China. The couple have no children, and rear four cats. 

"Then, of course, on the 24th of February, all plans were dashed," he said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin on that day authorised a military operation in eastern Ukraine.  

"Once the invasion started, you lose the concept of time, because you no longer think about (your schedule), but your only concept of time is when this attack will pause, and when the next one will start." 

Once the invasion started, you lose the concept of time, because you no longer think about (your schedule), but your only concept of time is when this attack will pause, and when the next one will start.
Former television actor Ix Shen

He said that from where he was sheltering, he could hear gunfire and bombs falling. 

Mr Shen sheltered in Kyiv for the first weeks of the war, before he and his wife found a safe channel to evacuate to neighbouring Poland in March with the help of volunteers and humanitarian aid groups. 

While in Poland, Mr Shen felt temporarily safe, but he could not keep his mind off what was happening back in Ukraine. 

"It's difficult to ignore what's going in Ukraine just because you left it, because you know you still have family and friends back inside," he said. 

Thinking about the unconditional help he received from dozens of volunteers to get him out of the country, Mr Shen networked with volunteer groups to ask how he could pay it back to those in need.

In April last year, he was on a van back into Ukraine, to distribute food and necessities to those displaced by the war. 

While doing this, he also saw it as an opportunity to raise awareness of what was happening to Ukraine, especially to those in his homeland half a world away.

He said that he went through the official process of becoming accredited as a war correspondent through the Ukraine authorities, and became a freelancer.

In addition to posting on social media, Mr Shen has appeared on local broadcasters such as CNA, giving Singaporeans a taste on what was happening in the war-torn nation. 

During his time back in Singapore, Mr Shen will also be working with a publisher that he has secured to finalise details of a memoir that he has written about his time in and around Ukraine.

WRITING A MEMOIR

While he was trying to leave Ukraine, Mr Shen said that he and his wife were "too busy trying to stay alive" to reflect on their situation. 

It was only when he was back volunteering in Ukraine that "a lot of these memories, flashbacks came back". 

"That's where I started writing down all these memories in a journal, and after a period of time I realised that I should make it into a memoir," he said. 

"It was really about how to stay sane during an insane time, that's how I see it." 

Mr Shen said that he did not know the exact date that he will return to Ukraine, as this depends on when his book will be ready for print. 

He only knows that he will eventually return to join his wife, who recently moved back to Ukraine from Poland.

Asked what he hopes for most, Mr Shen spoke with no hesitation. 

"I hope to celebrate liberation day in (Ukraine), hopefully soon."

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Ukraine Russia invasion Ix Shen

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