Tamara Balaeva

Editor

I’ve been working in journalism all my life, despite several attempts to leave the field. I started in Zaporizhzhia as a host on wired Radio Three, then moved to Kyiv, where I worked for daily newspapers. Later, I began writing stories for Focus magazine and the Babel website. As a freelance author, I was published in Ukrainian Esquire, Charitum, Reporters, and other outlets. I’ve also collaborated with charities such as Enjoying Life, savED, and UAnimals.

Since 2024, I’ve been an editor in the long-form stories department at LIGA.net and a mentor for novice journalists at the Media Development Foundation.

I am convinced that there is nothing more fascinating in the world than human stories.

Publications of the author

Artist Pavlo Makov created Utopia and Lost Paradise. How his art reflects life — even the one that cannot be. A profile
Pavlo Makov’s works are held in world-renowned museums across Europe, the US, and Japan. In 2022, his installation Fountain of Exhaustion. High Water represented Ukraine...
When "yes" means "no" and silence means disagreement: Maryna Starodubska's column on five missteps Ukrainians make in multicultural teams
Maryna Starodubska is an adjunct professor at Kyiv-Mohyla Business School , a consultant on management and cross-cultural interaction, and the author of the book...
From the ashes to a new publishing house. Yuliya Orlova’s column on Vivat’s losses, crisis management, and the launch of Lilith
Over the past two years, Ukrainian publishing house Vivat has been hit twice by Russian shelling, losing employees and tens of thousands of printed books. In her column for...
Startup Releaf Paper makes paper from fallen leaves and sells it by the ton to global brands. How Valentyn Frechka made it happen. Interview
In 2018, 17-year-old school student Valentyn Frechka from Zakarpattia made paper from fallen leaves and won the Genius Olympiad in the United States. Two years later, he...
Food after shelling, aid near the front line, and support for farmers. What World Central Kitchen does in Ukraine — interview
For more than four years, World Central Kitchen (WCK) has been feeding people in frontline communities, helping displaced people, and reaching the sites of Russian...
Russia is destroying Ukrainian businesses — they need your support. We update this list every Monday
Russian missiles and drones regularly target Ukrainian businesses, striking factories, warehouses, retail locations, and logistics hubs. Companies are losing critical...
“We launched JayJay and immediately made our first sale.” A Ukrainian platform in Indonesia raised $1 million and became a leader in creative education. Interview
In 2021, businessman Vitalii Somka was looking for a country where he could set up an online professional education platform. After researching markets on four continents,...
Ukrainian startup HEFT has created an “Apple Watch for cows.” Their device is already in use in Romania and Ukraine, and is now being prepared for launch in the US. Interview
In September 2024, Serhii Ryzhkov and Denys Maltsev founded HEFT, a startup developing "fitness trackers" for cows on farms. Later, Maria Mashkovska joined the team. Operating...