Mykola learned about the war from the morning news when he turned on the TV. The broadcast already showed horrific footage of destroyed cities and alarming reports of a full-scale invasion. The windows of their apartment overlooked the checkpoints where the soldiers were standing. He could see the fire heading toward the factory. He witnessed the battle firsthand, but there were fewer and fewer soldiers, and half of them were women. Mykola realized that soon, no one left to defend the factory, let alone the entire city.

Just a few months ago, Mykola Lytvynenko, who had worked all his life at one of the largest enterprises in southern Ukraine, could not believe that a full-scale war in the 21st century was possible—but the morning of February 24 forced him to accept the horrifying reality. In the first days of the full-scale invasion, people swept all the products off the shelves. Patrols roamed the streets, checking documents and all gadgets. The children lived in constant fear. His daughter Nataliia spent most of her time in the bathroom, while his son Denys, who was afraid to go outside, stopped eating. His wife, Iryna, who worked in the education department, fell under suspicion by the occupiers. They took her colleague for questioning.

Just before the New Year, there was a knock on the apartment door. Denys approached the door, looked through the peephole, and saw nothing. The boy realized that it wasn’t the neighbors who had come. It was the military police in balaclavas and armed. Denys was sent to the bedroom immediately. Mykola was ordered to lie face down, with his hands behind his head. While he lay there, they interrogated him about weapons, prohibited items, where he worked, and the passwords to his phones. He wasn’t allowed to lift his head, or he’d immediately get kicked in the ribs by their boots.

Finally, they asked if he had taken their passport. Mykola said no. He got another kick in the ribs for that. And a warning to get one by evening.

Then, an FSB officer began interrogating his son: where he studied and what he did. Denys was very anxious but showed his work in computer graphics to the occupiers. The boy didn’t understand why they were treating him this way, why they looked at him with such hatred when he was not a criminal.

After that, the family was terrified that the occupiers would come with searches again. So, they decided they needed to escape. Moreover, Denys was soon to turn 18. And he could be drafted into the army of invaders. Their eldest daughter found contacts for Save Ukraine online and asked us for help. She immediately warned her parents that it wouldn’t be easy.

Indeed, at the checkpoint on the border between the occupied territory and the aggressor country, the family was detained for a long time. Their passports, belongings, and phones were taken, and they were kept overnight. They were released only at 7 a.m. Later, they were held for 12 hours at the exit from the aggressor country. All Ukrainians were treated as if they were criminals. But when they were finally allowed to go, they felt great relief. Mykolas’ wife cried with joy at seeing their loved ones.

Today, the Lytvynenko family is starting life from scratch. But the most important thing is that they are all together and safe.

Their story is the same one of thousands of Ukrainian families who found themselves under occupation. Share this story on social media so more people can learn about it. Every voice is important in the fight for our countrys freedom.

P.S. For security reasons, the names of the heroes have been changed.