The war in the Ukraine has taken everything

“The birds can fly away, why can’t I ?” (Artem aged 6) 

Before the war my daughter in law’s family lived a happy, hard-working life in the Donbas, Ukraine. Since Putin invaded their country life has changed beyond recognition for Elina’s Dad, sister and nephew, who have lost everything in this never-ending nightmare.

Until 24th February 2022 Elina’s family lived an ordinary life, working hard, going to school and taking pleasure from their animals and garden. Even as the threat of an invasion grew, her family remained hopeful that they’d be able to continue living a relatively normal life. Elina’s Dad has been a single parent since his wife passed away when Elina and her sister were very young. In spite of this he has always been optimistic, hard-working and self-sufficient, growing and preserving a wide selection of fruit and vegetables from their garden - something which sustained Elina’s family for many months after the Russians invaded. 

As the war intensified, and the front line moved closer and closer to their village of Hirnyk, ordinary life vanished for her family as they were forced to live under constant bombardment from missiles, drone-carrying bombs and for several months front-line fighting on the outskirts of their village. 

Little Artem was very frightened. At the age of 6 he couldn’t understand what was happening and asked why the birds could fly away but they couldn’t. Movement out of their village became increasingly difficult. Ukrainian troops dug trenches and moved into their village to continue their fight for the Donbas but devastatingly, after 2 brutal years of war, of fear, indiscriminate bombing and killing, Elina’s family recently had to be evacuated. 

The evacuation was heart-breaking. How do you leave your home with only one small suitcase knowing you may never return? Distressingly, her family weren’t allowed to evacuate their pets and were forced to leave behind two beautiful and loyal dogs, who had been a part of their family for years, and a gentle cat who had recently given birth to her first litter of kittens – none of them could be evacuated. 

As a mother and an animal lover, I feel heartbroken for them at having to leave their beloved family home, all their belongings and pets. How do you cope with that?

The evacuation itself was incredibly dangerous. It had to be cancelled several times as the threat of drone bombs was too great. Thankfully the family were evacuated safely but very sadly one of the brave volunteers who rescued Elina’s Dad died a few days later during another civilian evacuation. The family are so grateful to the brave volunteers who helped save their lives. Their bravery will never be forgotten.

The reality in the Ukrainian is that the government are not able to rehome or financially support all of the thousands of citizens who have had to be evacuated and displaced. My wish is to try and support Elina's family by helping to pay for temporary accommodation, everyday essentials and, once this heartbreaking war is over, to help rebuild their lives. 

We look forward to the day when Elina’s family can once again have a home and garden of their own, where they can care for their pets and grow their own food and flowers, especially sunflowers which are Artem's favourite. As Ukraine’s national flower, long representing peace and resilience in Ukraine, we want to be able to share their beauty with Artem and our message of hope that out of darkness comes light, let it shine.

This is why I’m asking my wider family, friends and kind-hearted people to contribute to our fundraising efforts so we can support Elina’s family. It has been so incredibly stressful for my family observing all that has happened from the safety of the UK, and we all continue to feel so powerless to help – I can’t begin to imagine what it’s like for Elina’s family who actually have to live through this nightmare day after day. 

Elina’s Dad is often overwhelmed by the concern shown to his family from those of us in the UK. Please help us to show him how much we care by donating as much as you are able to – we’d be grateful for any donation. 

I personally would like to thank you in advance for the generosity and kindness that you are showing towards people you don’t know. Your donations will be hugely appreciated.