Valentyna is in charge of the libraries in the Borodianka community. She recalls how the idea of packing an emergency suitcase caused jokes at work. But just a few days later, there was no time for joking – the enemy was approaching, people were leaving, and it was unclear what to do.

Together with her family, Valentyna decided to leave Borodianka and wait out the onslaught in the village of Ozershchyna, 20 kilometers away. From there, she could see Borodianka burning. And on March 5, the war reached Ozershchyna as well. The enemy was stationed in the neighboring village, and people were right on the front line. The residents of Ozershchyna left for the west in one of the last convoys. 

Two weeks later, the Vashulenko family learned that their family home in Ozershchyna had been destroyed. And then they found out the details – it was in their yard that heroes of Ukraine were killed after a shot from an enemy tank. Later, on Valentyna’s initiative, their street in Ozershchyna was renamed “Zakhysnykiv Ukrainy street”.