Natalia Malkova | Sporne

"The children were afraid, they clung to my hand until it bled"

I moved to the village with my husband and foster children three years ago. We thought about taking to beekeeping. But the war interfered with our plans. I hid in basements during the attacks. The children were afraid, and they clung to my hand until it bled. They screamed, "Mummy, why is this happening? What have we done wrong!?"

The children were afraid, they clung to my hand until it bled

My husband and I have six children. Five of them are adopted. The youngest child Daniel is six years old. The eldest son Daria is 15.

The poultry farm where I worked was closed because of the constant shelling. People have no work here.

When quoting a story, a reference to the source – the Museum of Civilian Voices of the Rinat Akhmetov Foundation – is required in the following format:

The Museum of Civilian Voices founded by the Rinat Akhmetov Foundation https://civilvoicesmuseum.org/