Lyudmila (37), Bohdan (5), Roman (3)

March 24, 2022, Bratislava. Day 28 of the war.

Those who managed to escape at the beginning did not get to see the devastation. They did not see how Russian troops were destroying their homes, their country. Those who come these days have seen and experienced a lot. None of us can imagine any of this. Women who come to us with children do not do so for fear of their lives, but for fear of their children's lives. Children are the most important thing for every mother. It's something that needs to be protected. Even at the cost of fleeing abroad. Even if they do not know where they are going, how they will be received, whether someone will help them, or what will happen to them next.

“They started bombing us on the very first day. We did not have heating, electricity, nor water starting with the 2nd day of the war. Only humanitarian convoys delivered us food. Yesterday they bombed a bridge through which there was the only way to get to our city. I don't know how they will deliver food and humanitarian aid there now. Our city had 300,000 inhabitants, half of whom are already gone." 

"Sirens did not work in our city, the sounds of planes and rockets were our sirens. When we heard them, we immediately ran to the basement. We came here mainly because of the children, so that some rocket did not destroy our home with us in it. We chose Slovakia because it was the closest country to us. We did not expect people to help us in this way, many thanks for everything. We have always hoped to be able to travel around Europe, but not like this. We saw your Tatra Mountains and many cities, but we would rather come here after the war and enjoy the beauty of these cities." 

"When we arrived at the train station in Kiev, we could still hear the sounds of sirens. All the trains went west. Ours as well, to Uzhhorod and then to Slovakia. My husband wanted to stay and he is serving in the local defense now. My mother did not manage to escape, as the bridge was already destroyed. Many of our neighbors also stayed at home. They are afraid to leave their house and they often have nowhere to go. They are afraid to use humanitarian corridors because they (Russians) shoot at them." 

"We stayed in touch with the family thanks to the internet. My husband doesn't talk to me about the war. We only talk about what they eat, where they recharge their phones and about things from everyday life. Mom tells me everything, even that she's worried that it's been quiet for a long time, because it's suspicious. It is the sounds of explosions that give her a special feeling of stability. She asks me how the children are, and we send her photos. We are constantly monitoring the news. Our mayor reports on the situation in our city every morning. It was here that we finally calmed down and rested. Even though we are still struggling with the sounds of motorcycles, for example." 

"I would like the Russians to feel what we feel when we are in the basement and they are bombing us. We want to stay here in Bratislava for the time being and then return home. We want to rebuild everything. I worked at school as a geography and biology teacher. The school is in ruins, we will have to repair it. My son was supposed to go to school in September, but his school is also destroyed. It will be our job to get back on our feet. I may work here for a while, but I definitely want to go home." 

"We simply told our children that there was a war. The youngest son was not even afraid of explosions, on the contrary, he was quite interested in tanks and soldiers. Fortunately, small children were not afraid much, they probably do not understand what is going on completely." 

"We were in Chernihiv for 22 days, we came here two days ago. We will be very happy if you spread information about what is happening to us. Especially about the east of Ukraine, about Kyiv, Chernihiv, Mariupol, people still know little about it. Many thanks for what you do for us and for how you have received us!"