Nelya, Vladislav (13), Bohdan (4)

Sunday, March 13, 2022, Devin. Day 17 of the war.

When we talk, she shakes. Not because of the weather, it's not that cold. She is shaking while recalling memories that no one will erase. A small but a strong woman inside. Like every other woman who decided to pack up and take her children to safety. To a place where you can't hear bombs exploding  or sirens. Where you can sleep in peace.

"I don't remember the exact date of our arrival, I've been here for about two weeks. I'm a nurse, we heard the explosions when I was at work. It lasted for about 2 hours. We learned that the Russians were bombing the surrounding cities. Only then did we begin to realize the seriousness of the situation. My husband called me, and we were making decisions what to do with our children, whether to take them to school or leave them at home. We have a school parent group on the internet and there we learned that all children were staying at home. We were preparing for this situation before, so we knew roughly how to behave, where to go in case of an air raid, but we didn't take it too seriously. Then we learned that they had bombed the airport in Kiev. My husband decided to join the army on that day. He was enrolled as a volunteer. He took his backpack and left to defend our city. He said he wouldn't be able to look the kids in the eye if he didn't go. He says that someone has to protect our country! That's when I realized the situation was serious. Although I am a nurse and I should help, but what would I do with the children? Where would I leave them?"

"I've seen people fleeing abroad. I heard all those explosions. Information spread from Kiev that housing estates were also being bombed. I decided to leave, I packed everything within 40 minutes. We drove for a very long time. We spent 13 hours in traffic jams. We waited in the crowd from midnight to 10 in the morning at the border. The crowd was 15 meters wide and at least a kilometer long. There were decent people, but also those who jumped the line and pushed others. The children hardly slept, maybe they napped for a few minutes while standing."

"I was literally shocked to see how people helped us when we crossed the border. Right there, at the border, the volunteers helped us with accommodation. They gave us food, clothes. I don't have a job yet."

"I am in contact with my husband, he tells me that he is glad that we have left and that we are safe. I've never cried so much in my life. My cousin stayed at home in Cherkasy because she has an adult son and 2 more children. My mom is here with me. She helped me to come here, she works here in Slovakia. The others - father, grandparents - stayed there. They are safe for now. My father was admitted to the hospital, due to the stress and tension. He's taking medication. Grandparents are near the epicenter of the bombing. Putin gave the order to destroy everything and everyone. I do not know what to do. I hope we will win, I hope for peace, I want to return home, to my husband, to our beautiful apartment and I want to go back to my beloved work."