Dates:
Tue, 15 Sept 2026, 18:00–19:30
Join us for the presentation of SCAM , a powerful new novel about Russia's war against Ukraine by Ukrainian playwright, war veteran, and combat medic Alina Sarnatska . Published by Vydavnytstvo in April 2026, SCAM marks the author's striking fiction debut.
Most war novels ask how people fight. SCAM asks how people continue living.
Lenka works at InstantCASH in a provincial town, handing out other people's money while dreaming of a holiday by the sea and a pair of gold earrings. Her husband, Kostian, is preparing for deployment to eastern Ukraine and dreams of love. Alisa, a combat medic at an improvised frontline medical station, dreams of returning home to a rescued cat and an ordinary office job.
Told through three interconnected voices, SCAM follows people struggling to preserve their everyday hopes and aspirations while war steadily dismantles the structures that make those dreams possible.
The event will feature a conversation between Alina Sarnatska and Liliia Omelianenko , publisher at Vydavnytstvo. It will be held in Ukrainian with consecutive interpretation into English .
About the author
Alina Sarnatska is a Ukrainian playwright, writer, PEN Ukraine member, PhD in Social Work, and war veteran who served as a combat medic during Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Her work has been staged at the Royal Dramatic Theatre in Stockholm and Schauspiel Stuttgart, presented at Yale University, and featured by The Guardian and The Observer .
Moderator
The discussion will be moderated by Liliia Omelianenko , a publishing profession...
Cost: Free
Categories: conversation, cultural events, literature
Image credit: Ukrainian Association in Finland — event-only licence
Source: Event information supplied by Linked Events Helsinki API, maintained by the City of Helsinki Executive Office, CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
