The life of the Ogurtsov family from quiet Vovchansk in the Kharkiv region, located just 5 kilometers from the Russian border, changed forever on the morning of February 24, 2022.

“We woke up to the explosions at 5:06 a.m.,” recalls mother Nataliia, her voice trembling. We were one of the first to hear and see it. It was flying and thundering in the sky.”

Before the war, Yuliia was fond of drawing, dancing, and athletics. She was a very open and kind girl. And now, sitting next to her mother, the girl bows her head. She rarely looks into the other person’s eye when talking about the war. Her voice is quiet, but there is a restrained power in it.

“I walked around the kitchen, talking. Then I heard the first explosion and was very scared,” says Yuliia, nervously fingering the edge of her dress. The girl falls silent because memories of those days overshadow all thoughts about pre-war life.

Nataliia continues the story, trying to protect her daughter from the worst memories: “We went down to the basement. It was dark and scary when the first columns of Russian tanks came. Yuliia then told me: “Mom, don’t worry about me. I know everything. I understand everything.”

From that day on, the family’s life became a constant expectation of danger. From the balcony, they watched the columns of Russian vehicles. The light went out in the house almost immediately, and then there was no light for three months. Yuliia began to read a lot to hide from reality.

“The rockets came very close. It could have landed on us at any moment,” Yuliia adds quietly, and her eyes meet her mother’s for a moment.

Nataliia says that at some point, she realized that she had to save her daughter from the horrors of war. They moved to their grandmother’s house, 30 kilometers from the border, but it wasn’t safe either. “Aircraft flew right over the houses. And we couldn’t leave because the Russians shot whole columns of those who tried to evacuate,” she says, clasping her hands.

On September 13, 2022, the Ukrainian military liberated their village. But the joy was short-lived – shelling began from the territory of Russia. “The child was scared – such were the explosions,” recalls Nataliia.

They decided to evacuate. The way was dangerous and long because they drove through fields. And just one mistake could be fatal. The car got stuck on broken country roads, and it even had to be pulled out by a tractor once. Finally, they reached the station and took the train to their relatives in the Ivano-Frankivsk region. Here, Yuliia went to school and made new friends.

But the biggest test for the family is still ahead. Yuliia has a heart defect since birth, and now she needs surgery again. “The old valve, which she has been wearing since she was nine months old, has frayed, and she needs a new one,” Nataliia explains. The girl needed examinations and funds for treatment, so when it became possible to return to Vovchansk, they decided not to abuse the kindness of their relatives, even though they gladly accepted Nataliia and Yuliia.

But the war began to assert itself louder and louder: shelling became more frequent. The Russians targeted hospitals and rescue services. Drones began to fly in from abroad and attack civilian cars. It happened that they did not sleep well for weeks. And Yuliia can’t worry because of her illness one more time. That’s why they decided to leave their hometown again. “Volunteers from Save Ukraine helped evacuate. It was them who insisted that we undergo a full examination in Kyiv, in Okhmatdyt,” Nataliia says.

Now, the family lives in a modular house in Irpin. The Save Ukraine team is constantly helping the family. Yuliia studied with a psychologist and took a course in art therapy to master the stress acquired due to the war and not to withdraw into herself permanently. New friends and organized leisure time helped her with this. The girl likes to go on excursions organized by the Save Ukraine team. She is also regularly examined in Kyiv hospitals. “The main task is to heal Yuliia’s heart,” says her mother.

Despite all the difficulties, Yuliia remains optimistic. “She was waiting for the Ukrainian army in Vovchansk. We have a flag of the Armed Forces of Ukraine left in our apartment,” Nataliia says proudly, although she is worried: “But we don’t know for sure if the apartment left because the plane landed a few meters away, and all the glass flew out.” The neighbor then helped cover the windows with a plywood board, but it is still not possible to visit or, perhaps, to collect all the documents that remained in the apartment: there are mines on the roads.

“You know we don’t even cry anymore, thinking about our home. We don’t have enough tears,” Nataliia admits. The only thing that pleases her is that the Ukrainian military is persistently expelling the occupiers from their native Vovchansk.

“You have to wait it out, believe, and hold on,” says 13-year-old Yuliia maturely, and her voice echoes the hope of all of Ukraine.

The story of Yuliia and Nataliia is the story of the unbroken Ukrainian spirit. Despite all the trials and the need to rehabilitate, they continue to fight for their future, Yuliia’s health, and a peaceful life in their native and free Ukraine. After all, occupation always leaves scars and not only on the heart. One must learn to believe in the future to heal the wounds and regain a happy life after all the suffering. That is why Save Ukraine is developing a program that will help children and families rescued from temporarily occupied territories and returned from the Russian Federation to recover and reintegrate into new communities.

We will tell their stories every week. Please help us share them!
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