At 5:00am February 23rd, 2022, people all over Ukraine awoke to gun fire and rockets falling on their cities. Calls from family and friends informed many of the beginning of Russia`s invasion. Many panicked and tried to flee occupied areas but found themselves at the end of miles-long lines for gas and other supplies. Mothers and fathers, young and old, rich and poor, and those from cities and rural areas all had their lives change overnight. Adults could not work, children could not go to school, and the injured could not go to hospitals. Many families were forced to live out of bomb shelters and basements for safety.
For many, these terrors still take over their lives every day. On a trip to Ukraine in August 2023, I had the privilege of meeting many Ukrainians living through Russia`s invasion. Many were forced to leave their homes and find safety in other regions, but some were not as lucky. Stas was living in eastern Ukraine when his friend called at 5:00am to tell him the war had started. He laughed from disbelief and decided to get gas from the nearest station. That is when he saw the first rockets strike. While his wife went to Germany, Stas stayed to do humanitarian work digging trenches to protect their land. Because Stas was a mechanic before the war, he stayed to help to repair vehicles for soldiers on the front. He now has a baby with his wife and still lives under the constant threat of shelling.
Maryna lived in Bakhmut with her husband and three-and-a-half-year-old child. She found out the war started when rockets started falling on her city. Her husband was in Kyiv and because of the shelling it took him two weeks to make it to her. They then moved to the Chernobyl region for a year before settling in the Kyiv region. They had planned on opening a mini farm and making cheese to sell and hold exhibitions with their animals. Now they do not know if that dream will ever be in their futures.
My friends Nazarii and Dima were living in Poland, studying at university when Russia invaded. This has not made their experiences any less devastating. When Dima found out the invasion had begun, he didn`t feeling like sleeping, eating, or doing anything. Because men are not allowed to leave Ukraine he has not seen his two brothers or his father in over two years. He loves them so much and finds it overwhelmingly difficult to bear being away from them. Nazarii found it very difficult to describe his feelings but wanted to say that it is so scary being away from your family and not knowing what is going to happen to them.
Not a single person I talked to thought that the war will end any time soon. They live with a constant grief of the lives they lived before. Their lives were normal and hard-working, they had hobbies and dreams, and now have no idea what the future holds for them. Of all the things we spoke about, the thing people wanted to share the most was that Ukraine still needs help. They`re screaming for a chance at change and a better life without fear of war or occupation.
Please consider donating or volunteering your time to assist Ukrainian people in the United States and abroad to any of the following charities doing work on the ground: Ukraine is Europe supplying humanitarian aid and mobile clinics or Dobrobat working to rebuild houses for survivors in de-occupied areas of Ukraine. If you are within the United States and would like to volunteer please consider Sunflower of Peace based in Boston, Massachusetts.
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