On February 24, my husband and my five-year-old twin sons woke up at 4:30 am to the sound of a rocket strike. Our house is 700 meters from a military base, the building of which was almost completely destroyed. When I went to Facebook, I read the terrible words that a war had broken out in my country. Russia attacked Ukraine.
It’s been two weeks, and I still can’t believe it. It’s like I’m in a dream. It is impossible. These horrors, those killed children, and the destruction of schools and hospitals … Is all of this happening in my Ukraine?
I dressed the children in 5 minutes. Then I laid mattresses and blankets in the cellar, where we store vegetables and preserves. The children asked, “Mom, why are we going to the cellar?” I replied: “Because there is a war. Russia does not want you and me to exist.” And then my five-year-old son answered in a very calm and confident voice: “Mom, don’t worry, everything will be fine. Ukraine will win.”
At that moment, I thought only of the children – they need to be saved at all costs. In a few hours we gathered our things. All the most valuable things we had fit in the trunk of our car. As soon as we got into the car, we heard another explosion – another missile hit the military base.
We went to my mother, away from the border with Belarus and Russia. There, 250 kilometers away is a little safer. But what is safety? As we approached the city, we witnessed another missile strike on ammunition depots.
I will never forget that dawn. We refueled at a tiny gas station. And here – an explosion and a bright red flame on a black and blue sky background.
Vinnytsia is a regional center with about 400,000 inhabitants. I spent my childhood here and I know every nook and cranny. And how strange it is to see my school become a headquarters where volunteers come to enroll in the Territorial Defense. They get weapons and body armor, and guard checkpoints and patrol my city. There are so many people willing to enroll that people are selected on a competitive basis. Only those who have combat experience or have their own registered weapons are taken. Not to mention the state of health.
Even I wanted to enlist in the Territorial Defense. Despite the fact that all my life I held only a rifle in the dash. But in the shooting range I shot accurately! Anger and rage overwhelmed me so much that I dreamed of shooting at least one Russian soldier. I dream of killing a man. For the first time in my life. I think of the murder when I look at the corpses of killed Russian soldiers and burnt equipment with the fascist “Z” emblem.
Every Ukrainian now has this desire. We are very angry and motivated. Even the children help to detain saboteurs! A few days ago, children were walking in the yard and noticed a suspicious man trying to climb onto the roof of a high-rise building. The children told their parents, and they called the police. It turned out that he was a Russian spy.
Ukrainians now act as a single organism. I do not know anyone who would not help the Ukrainian Army now. On my phone are more than ten local groups set up a few days ago to address logistics or humanitarian issues. After all, it is not only soldiers who are needed in war, but also a reliable rear. People weave camouflage nets, collect warm clothes, food, and medicine for the displaced, buy weapons and ammunition for our soldiers in all possible ways…
Yes, there is less food on store shelves. Yes, we hear sirens warning of missile strikes day and night. The other day the Russians destroyed the airport 10 kilometers from the center of Vinnytsia. But we do not feel fear. We become even angrier and more motivated.
We are confident of victory and visualize our revenge. For every soldier killed. For every child who died from Russian missiles and rifles. For every ruined home. And for every tear.
We know better than anyone what Russia is capable of. What atrocities Russia is ready to use to destroy us Ukrainians. After all, Russia tried to do it for hundreds of years – Russia has tried to erase our language, our culture, and killed the best representatives of our nation. We were taught all of this at school in history lessons. We feel the pain of our ancestors. And now this pain is multiplying the anger at what is happening now. As a result, a force is born that the atomic bomb never dreamed of. And now imagine how ridiculous the fact that Russia and Putin dare to impose some demands and ultimatums on us Ukrainians – it seems ridiculous to us!
We feel stronger and more united than ever! Last night, I spoke with a biologist from Kharkiv, a city that is now being terrorized by the Russian Federation with extreme brutality. This man, Serhiy, voiced what every Ukrainian feels now: “Russia will be able to destroy Ukraine only on one condition: if it kills all Ukrainians to the last.” And then he added: “You know, it would be cool to die in battle.”
Ukraine will definitely win. The only question is the price of this victory. We, Ukrainians, appeal to the whole world only to reduce the number of killed children and destroyed maternity hospitals. We are not asking for our problems to be solved, no. Give us weapons to save more Ukrainian lives and destroy the evil empire faster. We are ready to fight ourselves – soldiers, civilians, women, old, sick, and all.