Elina (29)

March 14, 2022, Bratislava. Day 19 of the war.

The youngest in the family. And the strongest member of the family today. She helps her parents, her grandparents. Without her, they would most likely be lost. They are lucky that they are all here together. They have managed to escape just in time. But how many families were divided by the war? And how many more will there be?

"I came to Slovakia as the first from the family, I was already here in the past, in 2014, when the whole conflict began. So I already knew what to do. I already know Bratislava a little, I've been here several times. It's easier for me because I already know the language. But now I have to start my life over again. I used to work in a luxury Italian furniture store in Ukraine. The store is of course closed now. I don't know when everything will return to normal. I just hope that Kiev remains undamaged. Other cities such as Kharkov or Mariupol are already heavily destroyed. All we can do now is to wait here. We don't know what will happen or how it is going to end. First we left Kiev, we stayed in Ukraine for about a week after, but then we realized that it was getting worse and so we decided to go to Europe. Others were not so lucky. Kherson has been hit right away and people didn't have time to leave. There were 2 missile attacks that destroyed buildings in various parts of the city in Kiev today, including a 9-story residential building. We found out about it from the news. We just have to wait and believe in better days, to believe in our country, in our President, and believe that America and Europe will help us. If they don't help, he'll (Putin) come after them too."

"It is unimaginable that this is happening in the 21st century, these are the stories our parents and grandparents used to be telling us about. Everyone learns about World War II at school in Ukraine, about how our families fought in the war. I cannot believe it's happening again. We can stop the war and change the whole situation only if we stick together. I am 29 years old and I am helping the whole family. Fortunately, we are all here together and helping each other. It was easier for us to leave our houses together. I can't imagine what it's like to be eaten up by the thoughts of your family staying at home in Ukraine. This is our story!" 

"Time will tell what will happen next and what we will do. We simply have to live, survive, fight and help each other. Unfortunately for us, this is a time when we can't live just like everyone else, we have to survive! We have everything we need for now, but there are a lot of people who need help, they don't know the language, they need money, they need to get back on their feet, they need to survive." 

"The elderly do not want to leave their house, and it is a problem. Their grandchildren and children stay in Ukraine with them because they do not want to leave them alone. There is a retirement home 20 kilometers far from Kiev, where people aged 80 - 90 years old are living there. They do not even have electricity, they warm up by the open fire. We are talking about Kiev here, a city inhabited by about 6 million people. Another 1 - 2 million people lived in its vicinity. Most of them packed up right after the first night and left. People no longer had a chance to escape in some towns and villages in the area, because there were Russian soldiers already in there. Everything changed during one night. We haven't been in contact with our family and friends from Mariupol for more than a week, we are not able to reach them, we don't know what's wrong with them."