Olena's Story

Olena's Experience - Four years of large-scale war in Ukraine

I can't help crying, I'm sorry. Everything inside me is torn apart. The worst thing that could’ve happened has happened: war has come into my life.

We lived in Luhansk region. Back in 2014, we were heavily shelled, but that was nothing compared to what happened in 2022.

The city is now destroyed, sown with mines, occupied. Our apartment building was hit several times. We are on the second floor, and the fifth and sixth floors are completely destroyed. It was terrifying. My husband ran around to our friends’ and gathered as much petrol as he could so that we could leave. Our daughter and grandson were with us. My daughter's husband was fighting in the war, and he was killed near Bakhmut. We went through a terrible experience and now my grandson flinches at every loud noise.

We left for a safe place, but soon my husband was taken away. He went to the front despite his poor health. He’s on the front line, and every morning I worry when I hear his voice on the phone. When he doesn't answer, my fear is so strong that I can’t feel my legs. All my hopes and prayers are for my beloved to stay alive.

I want the war to end so badly because I know how horrifying it is. A friend of mine says she likes going to the forest because she can scream there without scaring anyone. I understand her.

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