Ukrainian teacher turned war hero speaks out about her struggle against Putin's bloody invasion

Famed American poet Robert Frost once said, “I am not a teacher, but an awakener.”

As the world watches scenes from Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine, one woman has really embodied Frost’s words -- awakening the sensibilities of millions who hear her story.

Olena Kurilo, 52, was a teacher in the eastern Ukrainian town of Chuguiv before her home was bombed by Russian military forces. Although she was injured, she remained defiant, and images of her bloodied face soon became a symbol of Ukrainian resistance against the Kremlin’s bloody campaign, People reported.

Now, the heroic teacher is coming out to tell her story.

"I never thought that such a thing could happen. I never thought that this would truly happen in this lifetime," she said in an interview with EuroNews. "We wrote poems about the war. I myself am a director, an educator; we studied the history but we never thought that this would happen on our land." 

🇺🇦 A Ukrainian woman is injured in the bombing of a residential building in the city of Chuguev, Ukraine.

Explosions have been rocking cities and towns in Ukraine since Thursday morning as Russian troops and tanks moved in. #UkraineRussia pic.twitter.com/bMLUEk5llZ

— euronews (@euronews) February 24, 2022

"The house is completely destroyed, there are no windows, no doors, one door even flew out. Even the floor has been completely ripped off," she continued. 

"I am just very lucky, I must have a very strong guardian angel for me to have stayed alive. I will stand up and go, I will do everything for Ukraine, as much as I can, with as much energy as I have. I will always only be on my motherland's side," she added. 

"Never, under any conditions will I submit to Putin. It is better to die," the Times of Israel reported her saying. "I was in shock, I felt no pain," she added, remembering the moments after bombs hit her home.

Russia invaded its southern neighbor on Feb. 24 with forces flooding the country from the north, south and east. Although the Kremlin has continued to bomb Ukrainian cities and advance on the capital, Kyiv, the Ukrainian people have put up a fierce resistance under the leadership of President Volodymyr  Zelensky.

Although initial peace talks were held on Monday, an agreement has not been reached and Russian forces have continued to pummel cities across the country – causing Western analysts to fear that Kyiv might soon fall.

The situation intensified this past weekend when Putin raised the specter of nuclear war.

So far, the U.S. and its European allies have rallied around Ukraine and pledged aid or military support – in addition to imposing devastating sanctions of Moscow.

"The prayers of the entire world are with the people of Ukraine," President Joe Biden said as the invasion began in force.