Stories that you confided to us
I was scared because I had just given birth to a child. He was not yet a month old when a very heavy shelling began in Novozaryevka. A rocket flew very low above our heads. Everyone who was outside lay down on the ground.
We were in the house. A helicopter flew above us. It was probably some five meters away from our roof. The roof swayed and we thought that the slate would break off. Well, thank God, everything was fine. My husband Ruslan and I lay down on the floor and covered [the children] with our bodies.
There were some strong explosions near us. We could not sleep either during the day or at night. If we fell asleep, we would wake up immediately. I gave birth to a son Emil. When I put him to bed for him to have some sleep, he wakes up and cries as soon as we hear some explosion. We didn’t have electricity for three months because all the electricity lines were broken.
We happened to be here in Dobropillia in the following way: my mother was the first to come here. I took Ilyusha and my little son. He was five months old then. I came here and submitted the documents applying for social payments here. I was waiting for “child care money” to be paid. I wanted to get it and go back to take my husband and daughter and bring them here.
We are thinking of buying some housing and staying here. And there… Well, what do we have there? My whole family is here. So, I think we’ll stay here.
These are two different lives. This life is better than that one. Yesterday a helicopter flew by. My daughter was afraid of helicopters, but now she takes it easier. Our son was frightened and ran into the corridor. I said: ‘Sonny, what are you scared by?’ ‘Yes, Mom, a helicopter." I told him: ‘Come to me.’ He came up calmly. I explained to him, he understood it and that’s fine, that’s ok.
It’s hard, but we do our best to cope. My husband helps me. We hold on for the sake of the children.
I want the war to end as soon as possible and want to see a peaceful sky. This is the most important thing.
When quoting a story, a reference to the source – the Museum of Civilian Voices of the Rinat Akhmetov Foundation – is mandatory, as follows:
The Museum of Civilian Voices of the Rinat Akhmetov Foundation https://civilvoicesmuseum.org/
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