“The building jumped up and fell into place, everything fell from the walls, the children were crying...”

Thirty children from the Chernihiv Social Rehabilitation Center spent three weeks under fire. Those Center workers who were able to get to work then took care of the children. 

At first, the institution operated as usual. The children went down to the basement when the alarm went off. When explosions were heard nearby, the children were moved to the basement. Half of the pupils were children aged three to seven years. They went upstairs only in moments of silence – to have some air and eat. 

It was then that tragedy almost happened! There were explosions. One of the bomb fragments flew into the dining room. And this was twenty minutes after the children ate and went down to the shelter. Another blow struck the Center’s windows and doors. 

Then the Center’s teacher suggested that her colleagues move the children to a local church.  The closest shelter was the Trinity Church, on the territory of which about 600 residents were already taking refuge. Svitlana Kukharchuk told the Inter channel journalists about the rescue of the children.