My husband, Viktor Karpenko, was a tractor driver. Last summer [2015], he went to the field and was blown up by a land mine. He has left two sons. We can barely make ends meet.
Eric is four years old, but he already knows how to start a car. His older brother Mark helps him. They often hang around in an old Volga which their father loved very much.
Seven-year-old Mark remembers how dad drove a tractor into a field last summer. He promised his son that he would be back by evening, but he didn't keep his word.
Only a pile of iron remained from the tractor Viktor was blown up in. My husband was barely 40 years old. On that day, he was going to take his youngest son to the field. He was nine months old at the time, but Viktor took him with him quite often. I left my son at home. Then I found out that the explosion was so strong that my husband had no chance to survive.
I lived with him like in heaven, and now I live like in hell.
Our agricultural machinery used to provide a stable income, but now it has to rust. I only receive a survivor allowance – 1,150 UAH for two children. Is it possible to live on this money?
We can't forget about the war for a day. Our village of Hnutove is located a couple of kilometres from the line of contact. The basement is our only hiding place.
