Stories that you confided to us
I've lived in Trekhizbenka all my life since I was born. The village used to flourish. People kept farmsteads, farms, and pigsties. We had a kindergarten and a school. We had shops here. Buses ran here. I worked at the regional hospital in the operating unit.
They started shooting Luhansk I worked there and found the first wounded. Well, then the village was constantly under attack.
Godparents of my children lived here. Three shells fell in their house. They had much damage. The windows were crushed. The ceilings fell down. The house is not habitable.
When a shell fell, they came to us. They lived in our kitchen for a month. Then they went to their parents' house in Kalauz.
There is a lot of such destruction in the village. There are houses that don't even have foundations.
The windows were also blown out. Shells fell there as well. A shell fell right where the gas pipe is. Everything was blown out here, even the windows in the kitchen.
War is something very terrible. All these shootings, explosions...
I couldn't sleep at night. My heart jumped out of my chest every time I heard it. I can't sleep now. I just have to be prepared for the worst all the time. When it gets hot, we just put off the clothes and leave it by the bed. Just in case we need to run and have clothes with us. We had no light, so we did everything in the dark. And my children know that they have to put clothes next to them in case of emergency. Whenever we hear any suspicious sound, we jump up. The child would always say, "They're shooting again, Mother." We are so afraid. The child is terrified most of the time.
We often stayed at the cellar. Telephone lines and electricity were cut off. We fired the stove and lit candles. We boiled water on the stove and used for washing. We cooked food on the stove.
We sat there waiting for the bombing to stop. We stayed in the cellar day and night. We had no light, so we did everything in the dark. The children understood it and sat quietly, very quietly We sat and snuggled together.
Dad had a heart attack during the war. Then my mother died. She had a stroke. I think it was caused by the banging. I was worried and grieved for Dad.
So they couldn't stand it and just passed away. Because it's very scary, very hard.
We need moral support. My husband is far away. I lost my parents and my brother here. It's hard to live with two children, both physically and mentally. It is very hard. There is no support.
We are financially unstable. The child allowance we get is never enough. We have to provide for the children: dress them and feed them. They ask for something delicious. There were times when the children got sick, and I didn't have the money to buy medicine.
I can't make repairs, because I have no money. There is no one to do it. Those who had opportunities found jobs in Aidar or Lysychansk. But the road there was hard, long and expensive. Those who did not find jobs were forced to stay. There used to be markets here. So we could sell some vegetables. And now, even if you sell something, it is barely enough to buy some bread.
I would like to express my gratitude to Rinat Akhmetov that he helps and does not leave the people of Donbass, Lugansk and Donetsk Oblasts. This support is priceless. He sends food packages for adults and children. He also provided a lot of medical care. He is a big-hearted man.
There is hope that everything will get better, everything will end. We would get our jobs back. We would live peacefully without any shells falling around. I want everything to get better. I wish there was no war. That's the most important thing. So that everyone was alive and well, and shooting would stop.
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/
