‘That war was not the war with children, not with civilians’

I was born in Donetsk, in Smolianka district of the city. When I was three years old, my mother died. My father was from Kuban (Russia), so I was sent to my sisters there. He brought me back when he got married here. I was seven years old then. As soon as he brought me, the war began. My father was called up to the war and I lived with other people.

This is my land. Everything is mine here. I used to work here. I worked really hard during the war! There was a tractor and a mower attached to it. So, they were mowing and I was taking the stuff off the mower. I started working early when I was a young girl. I worked all the time.

There was the war then, but we did not feel it. The war was somewhere. It affected someone else, but not us. The war was not with us, not with children, not with civilians. It was not the way it is now, [shelling] anywhere at all. It was not so then, but now it is like this… Is it a war? If our parents could rise and see it. There was no such thing in the whole world. And there probably won’t be any more. I don’t know what is going on.

Before the war, I used to live in Staromykhailivka, which is behind Krasnohorivka. Then, my husband died. All the children lived in apartments in Krasnohorivka. They worked at the plant and earned money. So, they sold my house and bought me an apartment not far from them. Thus, I became a resident of Krasnohorivka. I have been living in Krasnohorivka for about 17 years now.

How I met this war? Oh… We stayed in the basement. Then we got tired of staying there, my legs were swollen, and I said: ‘Let’s get out of here. It is three hours; it is the fourth hour now. There probably won’t be anything. Let’s go.’ So, we went out. And as soon as I went up to the fourth floor…, it was in summer, 13 July, I will never forget it. I only had the documents in my hands and that’s it. So, as soon as I reached the fourth floor, it thundered so loudly and I don’t remember anything else after that.

My body was lifted up and thrown or something. I was then pulled out of debris and taken to the basement. People were running to the basement. I was in blood all over and my body was injured. The windows in the building’s stairwells all shattered and pieces of glass fell down. I got scars and my legs were injured. So, I was taken to the basement, wiped and washed there. Then the ambulances came and people were evacuated. Everyone around was squealing and screaming.

My son-in-law came for me. He lives in a nine-storey building and my building number 13 is not far from him. He came for me and we met a lorry going to Mykhailivka. The driver of that lorry said: ‘Those who need to go to Mykhailivka, get into the lorry.’ He put me into the lorry going to Mykhailivka and took me there. His sister lived there and his parents’ house was there.

Children die, people die, destruction happen. People were building and gaining it all during their lives. And it all disappeared in an instant. How shall they live now? How do they get on their feet? For what? That nine-storey building where my children lived cannot be repaired. It is all broken. My apartment is on the fifth floor. The roof is damaged, the windows are all broken, and the balcony is destroyed.

It is never possible to get used to this. I don’t want anything. I pray to God asking him to give my children and grandchildren health. I have very good children and grandchildren. I ask God to give them health and everything else for them to live well. They now live in someone else’s apartment. They pay quite a high rent and sleep in someone else’s beds.

This cannot be forgotten. Everyone should know about this. Everyone should know that this cannot be done. So many innocent children died or suffered injuries.

I survived one war and was left an orphan. I survived such a war. I worked hard, I worked in the mine. And in my old age there is a war again. If only this war was over. We would be crying and screaming with joy. If only they announced it as Levitan had announced it [during the Second World War]. If only they said that!