‘She loved every day of her life.’ Family and friends pay tribute to Sasha Kuvshynova, Ukrainian journalist killed in Kyiv

Her father, Andriy Kuvshynov, told CNN they always knew Sasha was a “talented girl” with a “love of life,” but the outpouring of messages from her wide circle of friends and colleagues has enabled the family to build up a broader picture of the 24-year-old.”Many dozens of people have reached out to us in the last week,” Kuvshynov said. “We’ve learned a lot about her that we didn’t know as parents. We’ve seen the kind of person she was.”Among Sasha’s many passions were media and journalism, which led her to work with a team from Fox News covering the Russian invasion of Ukraine. On March 14, she and veteran Irish news cameraman Pierre Zakrzewski, 55, were “What happened was a complete surprise, a complete horror for us,” her father, 59, said. “We couldn’t imagine that it was possible.”Before the war Sasha led a vibrant life, immersed in the creative community of the Ukrainian capital and working on a string of diverse projects — everything from founding a music festival for up-and-coming jazz musicians to working as a DJ and writing poetry.Sasha was also a gifted stills photographer, and developed an impressive portfolio that bridged a range of disciplines including street photography, portraits and abstract work.”Her biggest dream was to make movies in modern formats. So she did both photography and script writing,” her father said. “She loved and wanted to make films herself and to be a producer, to learn in that direction. She had five cameras in the house.”Fox News correspondent Trey Yingst worked with Sasha in Kyiv. He wrote a tribute post on Twitter saying: “She was talented, well-sourced and witty. She liked photography, poetry and music.” Yonat Friling, a senior field producer for Fox, described her as “a beautiful brave woman” who was “funny and kind” and “did a brilliant job” working with their team.’Thousands of talents’Growing up, Sasha loved flowers, cats, and her family; her father said she often made people laugh and did things “outside the box.” Fiercely smart, she learned how to read at the age of three, and picked up English from restaurant menus when they were on family holidays, he said. Sasha’s family and friends are now left holding onto memories of their time together — and to the enduring beauty of Sasha’s work.Around six weeks ago, she wrote a poem in English that she posted for friends on Instagram — some of the final written words of a young woman whose talents live on for those who loved her.This timeWhen there is only lefta touch between us I see the sky in front No words left for you I have got thousands lifetimes To count the stepsThat I will make for us I hold on tight every momentYour smile Between my heart and morning teaSeconds blaze furiouslyMy heart is warmThe consonance sounds Intermission.— Denys Otroshchenko contributed to this report.