Before the start of the full-scale Russian invasion, the couple Tetiana and Oleksandr lived in the urban-type village of Kupiansk-Vuzlovi. This is the largest railway junction of Kharkiv Oblast, just 55 km from the state border.
"My husband worked as an inspector for the preservation of the wagon fleet in Kupiansk, and I worked as a commercial agent at the railway station," says Tetiana.
On February 24, 2022, Oleksandr was going to take his usual shift and go to Vovchansk. But the morning of that day, he says, will be remembered for the rest of his life.
"We had to check the railway tracks and contacted the guys, our colleagues. And they shouted into the phone: "We're not going anywhere! We have tanks going through Kivsharivka! War!" When I called the head of the Vovchansk station, she also said that they were already completely occupied. That the Russians were running around with machine guns," the man recalls.
Tatyana was at home at that time. As soon as she heard on the news that a full-scale invasion had begun, she began to collect the children. The couple has three children: daughter Anna is currently 18 years old, and twin sons are 13. The family decided to go to live with Tatyana's mother.
"At first, we did not understand whether all this was true or not. It seemed as if it was some kind of parallel reality. It's like being in a movie. However, they remembered that they were always talking about the evacuation bag. But everyone hoped that it was just talk. And how to wake up the children, tell them: "Get together, we're going to grandma's, because she has a cellar and somewhere to hide". But at that moment we understood that this would be the safest place for us," Tetiana conveyed her emotions that morning.
Her mother, Nadia, to whom the family moved, lives in Kupiansk itself. Oleksandr also brought his mother here from Kivsharivka. And within three days, the Russians captured Kupyansk.
"We learned about the occupation from a local Telegram group. There they began to write that tanks are already moving towards Kupiansk. And the mayor said, “they say, don't worry, they won't do anything to anyone. That is, the Russians are occupying us, and we simply surrender. But people took to the streets and held a rally," says Tatyana.
At that time, her daughter Anna was studying in the 11th grade and dreamed of entering a Ukrainian university. The girl refused to receive a Russian certificate.
"I didn't go to school under the occupation at all, it was our joint conscious decision. My parents, I remember, once offered to go because it was the final class after all. But I said that I won't go because it's not what I want there, it's not Ukraine," Anna shares.
Several times, when there was still a connection, she managed to get online lessons with her teachers.
"Then I went to all the lessons, studied the Ukrainian language. We had a teacher who tried to teach us Ukrainian even before the war. We communicated in Russian at school, but she always, when she heard it, said: "Communicate in Ukrainian, we are in Ukraine." Unfortunately, we did not understand the importance of this at the time," the girl admits.
In April 2022, the connection disappeared in Kupiansk. Then Oleksandr began to look for an opportunity to leave the occupation. The only way was through Russia - that's how the family left the city and their grandmothers. And at the Russian border, they had to wait 10 hours before they were allowed through.
"It was a very difficult moment. When we crossed the border and entered Russia, I looked - windows were shining everywhere. The children were sleeping, and I had tears. Because here people are sleeping at home, and I am forced to take my children, to pack 20 years of life into one car. And there are five people in it. So, apart from the things you have, you won't take anything else," says Tatyana.
It took almost a week for the family to get to the free part of Ukraine through the territory of Russia and European countries. At first they settled in Kremenchuk, Poltava region, later moved to Kharkiv. In the fall of 2022, Tetiana and Oleksandra's mothers joined them. All together they have to live in a rented three-room apartment. But the family has this opportunity only thanks to the help of the Ukrainian-Polish project "Family to Family," which Caritas-Spes Ukraine implements in cooperation with Caritas Poland.
They admit that without these funds they would not know how to find housing to accommodate everyone.
But the family has this opportunity only thanks to the help of the Ukrainian-Polish project "Family to Family," which Caritas-Spes Ukraine implements in cooperation with Caritas Poland.
However, Anna's dream eventually came true: she entered the Kharkiv National University of Economics. The twin brothers continue to study online at the Kremenchuk school.
Their native Kupiansk region is partially liberated from occupation, but is still under constant Russian shelling. The houses of the family and grandmothers, as far as they know, survived. They believe that they will definitely return home - already after the Victory.
The Ukrainian-Polish project "Family to Family" has been running since October last year in the Kyiv-Zhytomyr Diocese, and since February this year - in the Kharkiv-Zaporizhzhia Diocese. Caritas-Spes Ukraine implements it in cooperation with and thanks to the support of Caritas Poland. The project is aimed at supporting Ukrainian families in financial need and affected by the consequences of the war in Ukraine.