Today’s story comes from Natalia, a woman who was forced to flee Ukraine with her two daughters to the Czech Republic. You will see the toll that the war is not just taking on the infrastructure of Ukraine, but also on families being split up.
Interviewer: Can you share how you found out about the war?
Natalia: It was very early in the morning. My children were sleeping, when my husband called and told me that the war had broken out. I could not believe it. I checked it on the Internet, and all the news posts were about the war. In the afternoon, we saw rockets over our city, so we realized that the war had begun.
On the second day, all the airports in our region were destroyed. It happened at 4 a.m.
In two days Russians attacked the military base not far from us. However, the rockets didn’t get to their destination but hit a hospital. It was really terrifying.
That is how our war routine had begun. Schools and kindergartens were closed. I didn’t go to work.
We stayed for a month in Zhytomyr. We spent a lot of time in the basement. The children were ill because it was cold and wet there.
There were severe attacks on the military aerodrome not far from us. So we decided to leave the city.
Interviewer: How did you manage to evacuate?
Natalia: It was difficult. There were no buses, but we took a free evacuation train to Berdychiv and then to Poland. The train was overcrowded, so the trip was exhausting.
I have two daughters – 15 and 13 years old.
We ended up going to the Czech Republic. Today I am going back to Ukraine, while my daughters are staying in the Czech Republic. When we arrived there, we needed several days to recover from all those events. We would shiver when we heard the tram because that sound reminded us of rockets..
I would never have expected the war. Now I have a completely different attitude toward Russians. I have started speaking only in Ukrainian. I know the Russian language but I don’t want to use it.
I have a sister who lives in Russia. We had a talk, but, unfortunately even though she is Ukrainian, she believes the Russian propaganda. She doesn’t believe me. She even told that it was our fault. She doesn’t listen to me. We have not spoken to each other since then, but I hope that one day we will come round. My children said that they do not have an aunt anymore.
Children’s adaptation to a new country is quite complicated. Firstly, they need friends and they lack communication. The new language is completely unfamiliar. Secondly, they had many health problems when we arrived. However, they have started to settle in a new place. They use their social networks to communicate.
Now, the children have started school in the Czech Republic. Honestly, I want to go home and my daughters want to go home. I am going home today. I hope one day we all will come back. When I think of people who live near the Russian border…it is much worse for them, it’s like hell. I am sorry for all these people
We hope that we will return in autumn. I am going to Ukraine to see what is happening there. My husband takes part in voluntary homeland defense.
Let’s not forget that there are families in Ukraine still struggling to be together. Families still losing loved ones on a daily basis through war. It’s easy to forget when not near it, but these people need our help, love and prayers.
So sad. Thanks for continuing to share these stories!