Marina (39), Milana (9)

Friday, March 18, 2022, Bratislava. Day 22 of the war.

There are baby carriages, scooters and bicycles brought in by voluntary donors in the corner of the university dormitory’s spacious hall. Milana sits down on one of the bicycles and starts riding it. Not farther than a few meters away from us. She rides around us, staying close to her mom. Marina doesn't want her daughter to hear what she's telling me, she doesn't want her daughter to be reminded that there's a war at home. She whispers from time to time. However, Milana comes to sit on her knees, so we had to end our conversation quickly. Children should grow up in peace, war should not be part of their vocabulary, nor their lives.

"We left Kharkov on the first day of the war, February 24. We arrived in Slovakia on March 3. We traveled through Lviv, Kosice and then came over here to Bratislava. My mother, father, husband stayed in Ukraine. Fortunately, they are still fine. The situation there is terrible, but we hope that everything will improve soon. Only me and my children could come here. My parents do not want to leave and the man cannot cross the border. My husband is 38 years old, we have two daughters together. Fortunately, he doesn't have to fight yet."

"He tries to calm me down when we talk on the phone, he's telling me not to worry about him. We want to put the kids in school, and then I'll look for a job. I worked as a teacher at home. However, I understand that I must first learn Slovak."

"I want to tell the Russians not to keep quiet, but to defend their right to an opinion like all normal people in the world. They must not remain silent. If we are all quiet, we will not survive."

"My whole family is from Ukraine. I was born in Brodyanska (Mariupol region). Then we moved to Kharkov. I don't know what's happening to my house, I don't even have anyone to ask, because more or less no one stayed there. We don't know where everyone is in the world. Thank you for your support!