Stories that you confided to us
A shell fell in front of the house. It happened at night. We heard explosions and went to the kitchen to see what was going on. The window was smashed, things around the house fell down. There was dust, smoke, and fumes everywhere. There was this whizzing sound heard around. Then it settled down. The bombardment stopped.
The second time the attack was initiated was on 12 -13 August.
We already knew what to do. Once the shelling began, we ran to the cellar.
We didn't sit there long… Then we heard sounds of explosions a couple of times. I thought, "Something has been broken again." I hear people shouting, "Fire, fire!" The neighbors ran out, shouting, "Come on, get out!"
"Wait, where should I go? They are shooting everywhere! Where should I get out For what?"
We stayed there for five minutes… They were shooting in circles. We heard something fall in the distance. We went out – everything was on fire... The roof is on fire. We tried to extinguish it – we had so many things to save. It didn't burn that bad, but the wind on that day was very strong.
Firefighters arrived, but they had no water. At first, they were not allowed to pass. Then they arrived but had no water. Luckily, they brought water a few minutes later. The guys tried to do what they could.
All the furniture, the heating system, plastic windows burned down. All the clothes burned as well. There was nothing left.
There was a sofa set and a chair next to it. There was a bed where grandmother slept, a TV, a wardrobe, and a battery. There was a lemon tree that bore fruit constantly, all year round. There were flowers on the window, books. All equipment melted down. Films and old pictures burned. It was a total loss. I would like the state to simply reimburse. Why should people and funds help people? Where should they take money from? I think that the state should be responsible for everything.
We escaped a shell explosion in our basement. It was covered with iron on top, and we had a crowbar there to lift it up if it got blocked.
When the shelling started (it was 11 o'clock in the evening), we were going to bed. We already changed into our pyjamas. We put on bathrobes and went to the cellar.
We didn't take anything, because we hid several times and didn't have a chance to take anything with us to the cellar. And when they came out of the cellar, there was nothing there. There was nothing to change into. We had no comb, no toothbrush, nothing else. Everything burned down.
Friends and even strangers helped. They brought some things. We had nothing at all. No plates, no spoons, nothing. That's how we live.
We loved our home. It was our corner, so quiet and cosy. Everything was gone in the blink of an eye. We lost everything in one moment. Sadness and nostalgia remained in my heart.
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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