Anastasia (33), Oleksandra (5), Yuri (2)

Monday, March 7, 2022, Inovec

...only they can be the change...

"We came to Slovakia on February 28. It was difficult to leave from Kiev the first day. There were terrible traffic jams as people tried to escape. We spent about 15 hours at the borders throughout the night, in cold weather, but some friends spent even 24 hours or more there. So we were lucky. When we came we had nothing. We took only documents, money, children and drove away in a car. I was able to pack few clothes, but no toys, only necessary things like pampers, medicine and that's all. I have prepared a small package in advance in order to be ready to leave if necessary. But when it happened, it was a shock. I had a nervous breakdown, it was difficult to find anything under such circumstances. It was rather difficult to leave my husband behind. Children keep asking me about where daddy is. I cannot tell them that he is there because he has to protect our homeland and that he may have to fight. I am telling them that he is working and that is all. We told them that we are on a sort of vacation, but we also gave them a bit of information about what is happening in our country. They have to know that it would be dangerous for us to be there now. So I told them about Russia and that murderer."

"Here in Slovakia people brought toys, food for us, they keep asking us what we need. We do appreciate what they are doing for us a lot! We didn't know these people before but they helped us anyway. I don't know when we will be able to go back, I don't know how long the war will continue. There are many small towns around Kiev such as Bucha, Vorzel, and the Russians bombed practically everything, there are no more towns there. My brother had a house there and they bombed it. He has no work, no house, everything what he worked for his whole life has been destroyed. I came here with my twin sister, my two children and sisters little boy. My sister works for an international company, with an office in Slovakia. The company helped us to find this place. Everything here is perfect. But we can't stay forever, we need to think about what we shall do next. I want to go back home, it is my country, my home and I love Ukraine. But when I look at the news and see how Russian occupants are bombing our houses, our hospitals and that children are dying I have to think about how to save the lives of my children. My parents live in Dnepropetrovsk district and we wanted them to come here, but my father told me he is too old for such trip. He doesn't want to leave his house. My mom stayed at home with three of my brothers children. He was on vacation with his wife when the war started and he couldn't come back home immediately, because all the flights have been cancelled. Luckily they have managed to flee and they are now somewhere in Poland, on the way to Slovakia." 

"What the Russians are doing, that's genocide. It began in 2014, maybe earlier. This war has been planned for many years. I have many friends in Russia and I asked them - what did you do? Some replied - sorry, but it is your problem, you have nationalists there, we saved Donbas. But who did they saved it from? Children? Pregnant women? I used to live in Russia. There are a lot of people who don't want to think, they will only do what they're told. That is a problem. Another friend from Moscow, after I described her how I woke up to the sound of bombs on the 24th, kept talking to me about her problems with dollars and that they cannot fly anywhere because of the sanctions. She told me her life is terrible. Hey! This is terrible, just think! Only Russians can stop this. There are many of them, only they can be the change!"