"The most difficult thing is loneliness, that we can't see our family"

Andrii Vorontsov, resident of Novomykhailivka, 85 years old:

We worked at the same factory — Kharkiv Electromechanical Plant. I was a blacksmith. I did hot and cold stamping, and she worked as an assembler.

We worked in the same building. There was a blacksmith shop on the first floor, and she assembled irons and table lamps on the second floor. One day, when I was going home, I saw her standing nearby. I just stopped and decided to invite her for dinner. That is how we met. Then we went dancing. We got married a year later. We have been married for 65 years.

When I retired, I took up beekeeping. I should have chosen a place for the bees. We went to different villages to look around. I had a car. I worked at the mine, and they gave me a Zhiguli car. It was my first car.

We met some beekeepers. And since then, I've taken up beekeeping and been looking for a place for hives. And we both chose this place, in Novomykhailivka.

This house was empty. It was sort of deserted. We bought this house. After a while, I brought bees here. This place was wonderful. There was a garden here, the second garden. It was so nice. This was a really beautiful village.

It was shelled quite often. Volodia and Larysa live on Volodarskoho Street. Their 16-year-old girl got killed. The hole right where she died is still there. A shell fell in the garden while she was standing there. I think it happened either in August or early September. It was a harvest season. That is for sure. So the shell killed her. That was one fatal accident. There were many injured people though.

There were terrible times at one time… They shot every day. We started hiding in the basement after that incident. We went down to the basement several times. Well, then we did not go down to the basement. We got used to the shelling somehow.

It's morally depressing, you know. Wife takes it harder than me. Every time she hears a strange sound, she asks, "Are they shooting again?" I told her, "Don't be afraid." I try to cheer her up even if they shoot. So I tell her that they don't shoot so that she wouldn't get upset or terrified." I say, "No, they aren't shooting." Even if they don't, I tell her, "They aren't shooting." Otherwise, her blood pressure immediately rises, and she gets stressed.

Nadiia Vorontsova:

We are taking the war very hard. But what can we do? We've already lived a while.     But we won't cry.

I go on thanks to my husband. Otherwise, I would have been dead a long time ago. Oh, grandpa is helping me. He's all I have now, all I have. He does all the housework work. I feel safe with him. He takes me by the hand to the store. So, he is my only support.

He's too kind. We were made for each other, we respect each other. When we were young, we understood and respected each other.

The only misfortune is that we are left alone. Our family was broken. The children are there, and we are here. We used to gather at this table. We appreciate all we have, all our old stuff. The most difficult thing is loneliness, that we can't see our family. We talked on the phone with my daughter every day. Now we can't even do that. The lines are cut off. 

Andrii Vorontsov:

We used to visit them all the time, on a day off or on some holiday. We got in the car and went to them, or they came to see us.  In January, we celebrated our 65th anniversary. When we hear any good news, we will see each other. If we did, we would have a huge feast. It would be fun. We would feel really happy. And now what? We have to live for each other even though it is hard.

We are frustrated that we have no freedom. We can't move freely. It is very depressing. My great-granddaughter turned four years old on 18 January. My heart breaks every time I think of that. I just wish this shooting stopped.