AYESHA RASCOE, HOST:
Nearly four years of all-out war has left most Ukrainians exhausted, anxious and depressed. As an escape, some are turning to a feel-good American sport, and even grandmothers are signing up. NPR's Joanna Kakissis reports from Kharkiv, a frontline city in Ukraine's northeast.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
IRYNA NESTERENKO: (Non-English language spoken).
JOANNA KAKISSIS, BYLINE: Seven women are practicing jumping splits in a mirrored rehearsal studio that's underground to protect against Russian attacks. The women wear matching black Ukraine T-shirts. They shake silvery pompoms to the beat of "She's A Lady" by Tom Jones. They're in their 50s and 60s. Some have grandchildren.
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NESTERENKO: (Non-English language spoken).
KAKISSIS: And during the war, they have formed a competitive cheerleading team. Iryna Nesterenko (ph) is the captain. She shouts out directions...
NESTERENKO: (Non-English language spoken).
KAKISSIS: ...As her teammates whoop and clap.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
UNIDENTIFIED PEOPLE: Whoo.
KAKISSIS: Later, over tea at a restaurant in Kharkiv, she tells me the team is called Sunrise and explains why.
NESTERENKO: (Non-English language spoken).
KAKISSIS: "We used to be fearful of the sunrise," she says, "because the war began at dawn. We were often bombed at dawn, but I do not want us to be afraid. I want us to find a way to rejoice."
Nesterenko is 63, a lifelong athlete who used to be a gymnast. When Russia launched its full-scale invasion four years ago this month, her home was bombed. Kharkiv is just 20 miles from the Russian border.
NESTERENKO: (Non-English language spoken).
KAKISSIS: "We hid in the basement for five days," she says. "Then our food ran out, our cat food ran out, everything ran out."
She and her husband took their cats and drove west. When they returned home in 2023, Kharkiv was no longer under imminent threat of occupation, but Russia was still attacking it. Nesterenko's friend Inna Skrylae (ph), a chemistry teacher, told her the Russian strikes came like clockwork.
INNA SKRYLAE: (Non-English language spoken).
KAKISSIS: "We were hit every night at the same time," Skrylae says. "We huddled in the hallways that pushed me into depression."
As the war dragged on, Nesterenko noticed everyone she knew was struggling with extreme stress and anxiety.
NESTERENKO: (Non-English language spoken).
KAKISSIS: She says, "You used to think that tomorrow the war will be over, in a month or soon, but no, no, no."
NESTERENKO: (Non-English language spoken).
KAKISSIS: "We are living with this war."
In 2024, Nesterenko brought pompoms to an aerobics class she was teaching to friends. It was just for fun, but something clicked.
NESTERENKO: (Non-English language spoken).
KAKISSIS: "We moved as one," she says, "like a United Ukraine. Everything was synchronized."
NESTERENKO: (Non-English language spoken).
KAKISSIS: "So there was no other choice," she says, "only cheerleading."
It's a feel-good sport born in the United States, but like many things American, cheerleading has been popular in Ukraine for years. Andrii Boliak (ph), president of the Cheerleading and Cheersport Federation of Ukraine, says many squads fled when Russia invaded.
ANDRII BOLIAK: (Non-English language spoken).
KAKISSIS: "But today," he says, "we are back to pre-war numbers. We have a lot of new teams. It's good for mental health. Most teams," he says, "are for children, but several new ones include women over 50."
(CROSSTALK)
KAKISSIS: And these teams are good, he says. The Sunrise cheerleaders have competed in European championships. Halyna Plakhuta (ph), a 63-year-old economist and Sunrise team member, says her granddaughter is proud.
HALYNA PLAKHUTA: (Non-English language spoken).
KAKISSIS: "She even made some amulets for us," Plakhuta says, "so we would always have victory and happiness."
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UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #1: (Non-English language spoken).
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #2: (Laughter).
KAKISSIS: Plakhuta joins the other cheerleaders in the basement studio. They include a doctor, a music teacher and a beautician who makes the team's costumes. Natalia Pivovarova (ph) is a 59-year-old accountant. She cared for her bedridden mother as Russian attacks blew out the windows in her home. Cheerleading, she says, saved her sanity.
NATALIA PIVOVAROVA: (Non-English language spoken).
KAKISSIS: "My girlfriends living abroad call me and say they're depressed," she says, "and I say, come back to Kharkiv. We will heal you."
PIVOVAROVA: (Non-English language spoken).
(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)
KAKISSIS: The cheerleaders line up behind Iryna Nesterenko to practice their competition routine. She cues a music medley that starts with an ABBA song.
NESTERENKO: (Non-English language spoken).
KAKISSIS: "We are living our best life," Nesterenko says. "We may train underground, we may huddle in shelters from bombs, but no matter what, this will be our best life."
(CHEERING)
KAKISSIS: A few weeks later, the Sunrise cheerleaders are competing in Ukraine's capital, Kyiv. They wear navy blue leotards and rub glitter on their faces.
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UNIDENTIFIED CROWD: (Chanting in non-English language).
KAKISSIS: The auditorium is packed with cheerleaders all decades younger.
(CHEERING)
KAKISSIS: And they are shrieking with joy as the Sunrise squad runs to center stage, about to shine.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "MONEY, MONEY, MONEY")
ABBA: (Singing) Money, money, money.
(CHEERING)
KAKISSIS: Joanna Kakissis, NPR News, reporting from Kharkiv and Kyiv, Ukraine.
(SOUNDBITE OF TOM JONES SONG, "SHE'S A LADY) Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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