Before the war, Olha and her family’s life was simple and regular. She and her husband and 16-year-old son lived in a village in the Kherson region, growing vegetables. Her son Andrii had a disability from birth.

On February 24, 2022, the family’s life changed forever: the Russian invaders broke into the village. Fear for their lives became the family’s constant companion. “Mines whistled through the house, we hid in the basements,” Olha recalls. “Then we came up with a shelter in the closet. However, there was no peace at home either: the Russian military broke into houses, searched through personal belongings, pointed their weapons even at a child with a disability, and forced them to recite the agressor oath.

It became even harder for the family when the medicines they needed to be disappeared from the market. And those that remained speculators sold at a premium. They could barely make ends meet because their only income was their son’s pension.

When the power went out and there were no living conditions left, Olha’s family decided to move to another village to live with their eldest daughter. But even there, they had to endure a lot of fear and humiliation. Russians take relatives who came to visit with bags over their heads to the basement. Olha’s brother-in-law was severely beaten because he had the same surname as a fellow villager who served in the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Olha’s pregnant daughter had it even worse. Oleksandra was afraid to give birth in the occupation, as there were almost no maternity hospitals left. In addition, she had to endure the harassment of a Russian soldier. The occupier demanded the pregnant woman’s phone number, threatening her husband with a weapon as he tried to protect his wife.

The young family took their two-year-old son and fled to another village. Oleksandra was about to give birth and needed to register so that she could see some doctors. She was denied registration, so she had to find ways to save.

After learning about Save Ukraine, the entire family decided to escape to the government-controlled territory. That’s how they ended up at our center in Irpin, where they finally felt calm and safe. “It’s calm here now, no one at the checkpoints is bothering us with questions,” Oleksandra sighs with relief.

We continue to support Olha, Oleksandra, and hundreds of other affected families, giving them hope and support. Please share their story!