“What gave us strength during the occupation? Children. They are our greatest joy and pride”
A family of internally displaced persons from Kupiansk dreams of peace, their own home, and a meeting with Polish families who supported them in their time of need after the victory
The first days of the full-scale Russian invasion are still unbearable for them to remember. The worst part, says Yevhen, was when enemy planes were circling the city. “And when the bridges were bombed. And we live near bridges,” adds Liudmyla. But the hardest part was not showing their children their fear, they admit today. In all their 16 years of marriage, this has been their biggest challenge.
Yevhen and Liudmyla's family are IDPs from Kupiansk. Since February 2023, they have been living in Kharkiv. They are raising four children. Alina is 14, Yegor is 11, Vika is 9, and Milana is only two. The youngest daughter was born in Kupiansk during the occupation.
The family was forced to live under occupation for seven and a half months. When the enemy entered the city, events began to develop too rapidly. It was not clear where to look for safe ways to leave with their children. And the family was waiting for a new addition... The shelling continued constantly – they hid from bombs and shells in the basement of the house. There was no work, and we did not want to work for the enemy. Sometimes we had to take humanitarian aid to feed our children. But, Liudmyla says, her travel bags were always ready.
“One day, when the shelling temporarily stopped, I went outside,” the woman recalls, ”and a car was coming toward me. As it turned out, it was an evacuation vehicle driven by a volunteer from the UK. We quickly packed up and left. Only my grandmother and my mother remained to take care of her. It was hard for an older person to leave everything, even under the fear of death. After all, that was her home, her life... Unfortunately, our grandmother died recently. And my mom is here with us today. What gave us the strength to survive the occupation? Our children. Children are our greatest joy and pride.”
The family now lives in a dormitory near the Kharkiv ring road: they have two small rooms for seven people. It's cramped, but at least they don't freeze, adds Liudmyla. Because the previous dormitory had no heating, it was very cold. The kitchen, bathroom, toilet, and laundry area are shared by all residents. Children receive their education online: distance learning is almost the only option for Kharkiv today. Not everyone has access to underground schools.
Children of war - they have experienced too many difficult events. The stresses they experienced have affected their health: speech problems are just one of the problems caused by the war. Today, psychologists from charitable foundations conduct therapy sessions with children, visiting the dormitory where the family lives.
Liudmyla, Yevhen and their children receive support from the Polish-Ukrainian project “Family to Family”. This monthly financial assistance, says Liudmyla, is very important to them. It gives them a sense of at least temporary stability. They spend some money on groceries, bought children's shoes for the winter, and an electric oven to bake cookies and pies on their own. And the rest they save for their own home. Today, this is Lyudmyla and Yevhen's biggest dream, and it's not an easy one to realize. “And a professional sewing machine,” the woman adds, ”I sew almost all the clothes for my husband and children with my own hands. That's why I dream of such a machine.”
“What do the children dream about?” we ask. Alina says she wants to become a seamstress in the future, like her mother. The girl draws well and is happy to show us her drawings. Yegor loves sports, is fond of cars, and may become a driver or have his own service station. Vika dreams of becoming a cook or a culinary specialist to bake delicious cakes, and two-year-old Milana dreams of becoming a police officer to “keep everything under control.”
“I also want to go to the sea together,” Yevhen sighs, ”but it's not realistic yet. I can't even go fishing, and I used to love it so much... But the most important thing is that the war ends. For this nightmare to stop... ”
Lyudmyla and Yevhen's family is very grateful to Polish families for supporting Ukrainian families affected by the war (this is the highest spiritual message of the Family to Family project: support funds from families to families). And they ask us to translate the following words for them: “We know that it is also difficult for you now. We want the flood and its consequences to leave you alone as soon as possible,” adds Liudmyla. ”Thank you for being here. And we invite you to visit us after the war. We will be friends as families.”
...The family's house in Kupyansk was damaged by enemy shelling. Today, active hostilities are taking place not far from the places dear to their hearts. “I want to return home so much,” says Yevhen, ”It's very beautiful there... The forests, the river, and the chalk mountains. But today the forests are all mined... Well, it's okay. We'll go back one day. After our victory. We will.”
