Stories that you confided to us
"I couldn't believe what was happening. I thought that was the end of the world"
On 31 January 2016, at 10:00 a.m., in broad daylight, something crashed into the courtyard, into the veranda. The windows shattered. The barn was smashed, as you can see. So were the fence and the garage. In general,everything was destroyed.
The damage was caused by Grads. The rocket fell right into the veranda and got stuck in the floor. We had to get it out ourselves. It was empty. The roof was completely blown off. The slate was smashed. People helped cover this side of the house.
One day, when we just had breakfast and I was about to get out of the house, something, sort of, drew me back. So I returned. And at taht moment… It was awful! All this noise, this crackling sound... A blast wave destroyed Kitchen windows. I couldn't believe what was happening. I thought that was the end of the world.
My husband was sitting on the couch. He was thrown away from the sofa into another room by a blast wave. He was in the corner of the bedroom. He said, "I'm awake, just fell on the floor." That is what we had to go through. And if we hadn't left… we would die here instantly. There were so many fragments… It was terrible!
He jumped out of there, and I came out of here. I was so shocked! So we went outside. Then my daughter called me and said, "Mum, the son-in-law was killed." He was 35 years old. He was standing by the gate when a shell hit there. He was just talking to a neighbor when it happened. My legs gave away.
I don't understand the purpose of this war. Why? Everything was fine. People lived normal lives. And now what? We never would have thought we would witness a war. I don't know how to restore our lives now. That is how we live now.
Once the bombing begins, I grab a bag with documents and photos. This is my eldest daughter with her baby son. Now he is 20 years old. My younger son-in-law died. Here they are. Here's their wedding. Now just watch and cry. They lived together for 14 years when everything changed drastically. That is so... The son-in-law died. My daughter was left restless.
The only thing I wish for is for peace to come. I wish they would stop shooting. I wish we could go to bed and get up calmly as we did before. I used to be happy. And now I am scared to go to bed. I get up in the morning and say, "Lord, thank God I am alive." I don't have any motivation to do something. I lost my passion to live. We just live for the moment.
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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