This interview was taken via WhatsApp Video Chat on September 30, 2023.
Olya provided all answers verbally and was live translated by my friend and colleague Dmytro Nykyforov, operator of War Tours Ukraine, linked here.
Slight variations exist between interviews and the questions asked. This is due to the different levels of English fluency among interviewees, to provide them as much clarity as possible.
#1. Where were you when Russia invaded in 2022?
She was in in Marynka and her friend called her at 5:00am and told her that Kharkiv city was under shelling. Her friend`s daughter and her son were studying [at university] in Kharkiv.
#2. Can you describe how you felt? What were those first few days like for you?
She couldn’t believe that the shelling was happening and that it was not a smart step by the Russians to start it, and that in the 21st century such a war can start.
#3. Did you have to leave Ukraine at any point? What was your journey like? How long did it take? Bus or train?
They were near the front line since 2014, but right before the war there was no evidence of shelling. The first few weeks had really intensive shelling and they decided to leave the city.
They went by evacuation train and got a free flat from the Baptist church. They were there for 3 weeks.
Her husband left because he had expected to be able to send some of their things to Olya, but their flat was destroyed and everything was burned.
Before that, on the 2nd of April, 2022, Ukrainian soldiers asked to take their mini bus and they allowed them to. As a result the soldiers were thankful and agreed to take some clothes from their flat and put it into the bus, anything that they could take quickly.
Examples: Clothes, printer, tv, mini fridge, and equipment to mineralize water
They had a business where they mineralize water to sell, now they sell water in Kyiv.
[After] they got to Kyiv the Soldiers returned their mini bus and it was in good condition.
They then went to Chernihiv region but it was hard to get used to and they were not able to find a job or use their mineral equipment so they moved in Kyiv in Ukraine May 2022.
They had quite a nice life before the war and had many possibilities to raise their business and to go to western Ukraine, but now they have to start from the beginning and they are lucky that they had the opportunity to save some of their equipment. Now [at the time of this interview] they have a little shop where they sell mineralized and sweet water with different flavors. They sell it to small markets and also participate in grant programs in order to get some extra money to support their business.
Photo credit: Olya
#4. Are you married and/or have any children?
She has 1 adult son at University in Kharkiv.
It was very scary because he [her son] was in a different city and he lived downtown. The first week he spent in a shelter. They tried to find a way for him to leave, he went by evacuation train to the nearest city in the region where they reconnected in March 2022.
#5. How do you see your life going forward from here?
She just does not know. Their city is totally ruined and they do not have a life to return to. They wanted to return but there is nothing to return to. They cannot afford to buy a flat in Kyiv but [they] can get support from the government.
Her husband and son are not allowed to leave the country and they still do not know what will happen. She did not want to divide their family and she only planned to stay together so she does not plan to leave Ukraine without her family.
#6. How do you feel about other countries` support of Ukraine? Do they do enough?
If you talk about weapons she doesn’t have any thoughts. Humanitarian aid is enough especially if you are in Kyiv. Entrepreneur support is good and there are good systems to get support from other governments but it is hard to tell if it is enough or not because she does not know the total [dollar value] amount of it.
The biggest problem for refugees is that they do not have their own flat and not have to spend their money for renting.
#7. What do you want people from outside Ukraine to know about life here now?
She dreams that the was in Ukraine will end as soon as possible, that it will end in our [Ukraine`s] victory, and that Ukraine will begin to rebuild those territories that were destroyed by Russia.
She believes that the fighting will end, that innocent people will stop dying, air raid alarms will stop sounding, and that demining will begin in the regions where there was active fighting.
She dreams to build her home again. She hopes that people of other countries will never feel the fear, pain, and hopelessness that war brings.
Disclaimer: All photos in this article were provided by Olya directly and published with her permission. Credit is listed next to each set of photos as appropriate.
Photo credit: Olya
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