Returning Olympic Airshow performer hopes to bring community’s attention to Ukraine

During her first year in university, pilot and flying instructor Anna Serbinenko went on a kayaking trip with 10 other students down a river somewhere north of Izum in her home country of Ukraine.

For three weeks, she explored the countryside, washing her hair in the river, going to the nearest villages to buy fresh bread and fruit, and jotting down the details of the trip in a journal. The adventure ended in a small village with a 500-year-old monastery, where the students then boarded a bus that took them home.

Now living in Vancouver, B.C., Serbinenko recently went through the journal and remembered the events of the trip. However, much has changed since then.

The monastery has been burned to the ground, destroyed by invading Russian forces as they continue to wage war on Ukraine. Serbinenko’s childhood home in the city of Bakhmut sits in ruins, bombed by Russia in 2014 during the Crimean crisis.

“You know your motherland is there, but it’s hard to realize that that place is not something you can go back to,” she said.

Serbinenko will perform at the Olympic Flight Museum’s Olympic Airshow this weekend, and she has dedicated her 2022 flying season to supporting her home country. Her plane is painted in the Ukrainian colors of blue and gold, and she will be “sky dancing” to the Ukrainian national anthem. This is one of many ways she hopes to support her friends, family and teachers who are still living in Ukraine.

“My aunt is in Bakhmut right now,” Serbinenko said last week. “She is literally about 20 kilometers from the worst war action that is happening at this moment.”

Serbinenko’s grandmother was in peril until she evacuated her home of 60 years with nothing but a purse. As bombs flew overhead, her grandmother spent five days on a bus traveling from Bakhmut to Serbinenko’s mother’s home in Switzerland. Serbinenko said that when she finally made it to safety, her grandmother slept for over a week straight, only rising to eat, drink and pray.

The now-destroyed monastery she had visited on her kayak trip had been her grandmother’s primary church, where she had attended service over Zoom until the day it was burned down.

“It’s personal,” she said. “The places this is happening are places I grew up in.”

At home in Canada, Serbinenko has been doing what she can, including humanitarian help, fundraising, volunteering, providing translations and helping incoming refugees. She has donated to the United24 initiative set up by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, and mentioned the efforts to house Ukrainian refugees in her area.

She said that many developers in Canada wait months for their building permits, leaving many buildings sitting empty. Serbinenko said that they were able to put the buildings to good use.

“We were able to negotiate with developers in the area that they would give accommodations for free or very reduced prices for Ukrainian refugees coming into the country,” she said. “That’s been such a life saver. It’s amazing to see how many people are willing to cooperate and go above and beyond.”

Although she has lived in Canada for 14 years, Serbinenko never meant to stay. Due to her love for traveling, she originally came to North America in 2008, hoping to travel across the continent. However, she’d always wanted to learn how to fly, and after hearing that an acquaintance’s son had recently gotten his pilot’s license, she devoted herself to learning and did her first flight 10 days after arriving in the country.

Serbinenko is only an hour-long flight away from Olympia and said Olympic Airshow Director Teri Thorning made it easy for her to get her start as a performer. Thorning said Serbinenko’s act is one of her favorites, and was happy to support her during this difficult time.

“We just want to show our support for her specifically and her country,” Thorning said. “She has flown for us for many years and I don’t know if we’ve ever promoted her individually. This year, it seemed appropriate.”

Out of all of the air shows she will be flying this season, Serbinenko said she received the most support from Thorning and the show after expressing her wish to dedicate the season to her homeland.

“All my air shows I’m flying this season are doing a fundraiser one way or the other,” Serbinenko said. “For some shows, I’ve dropped my fees so they could put more toward Ukraine. I had to push and negotiate, but I didn’t have to do that for the Olympic Air Show. From the very beginning, they’ve been so supportive and I am very grateful.”

Another form of support Anna has received is from the people of the Olympia community — the reason she returns every year.

“People are amazing,” she said. “I’m counting the days until the show. I had somebody come to me and say ‘Remember we talked two years ago? You told me I could do it, and I got my pilot’s license.’ You build connections every time you come back, to the other performers or spectators. I think that’s the most special part of it.”

Serbinenko said the show painted the L-39 plane in Ukrainian colors with the Ukrainian coat of arms and allowed her to pick the music for the act. She said that she wants to bring forward an issue that means so much to her to a community that has supported her and her career throughout the years.

Serbinenko said that if she were qualified to fly a MIG-29 plane, she would probably be fighting for Ukraine right now. However, she said that there are others who are better trained in combat fighting and, therefore, more qualified to fight.

Her style of flying takes a more artistic approach. Growing up as a ballerina and figure skater, Serbinenko said her experience with dancing translates into her flying.

“It’s the art of flying,” she said. “It’s three dimensional freedom. My passion is to show that flying is not just a technical thing. There is also art and beauty to it. I think different aspects of flying speak to different people in different ways. I hope I can show an angle people may not have seen before.”

Olympic Airshow

• What: The 22nd air show is returning for its traditional Father’s Day weekend performances.
• Where: Olympia Regional Airport and the Olympia Flight Museum, 7637 Old Highway 99 SE, Tumwater.
• When: Doors open at 9 a.m., and the show starts at noon both Saturday, June 18 and Sunday, June 19.
• Tickets: $15 but those 6 and younger get in free.
• Info: https://olympicairshow.com/
• Also: Don’t forget to bring a comfortable folding chair

This story was originally published June 17, 2022 at 5:00 AM.