March 4, 2022
Interviews
Not long ago, Ivanna was living peacefully with her family in a western Ukrainian town. But the Russian invasion of her homeland has changed the situation dramatically. Ivanna decided to leave the country with her daughters. As she describes it, making such a decision is not easy and is even condemned by some of her neighbours. Find out more about her journey to Prague in this interview.
When did you arrive in Prague?
We arrived in Prague yesterday (1st March).
So, you left Ukraine together, the whole family?
Just me and my children. My husband has health problems with his back, so he stayed at home.
Can you tell us a little bit about your life in Ukraine?
Our family lived in the western part of Ukraine, specifically in the city of Kolomyja. I worked as a manicurist.
Did you decide to leave the country overnight or did you think about it for a long time?
We waited until the last day, or almost the last day. We kept hoping that the situation would change and that we would be able to stay at home. However, the situation got complicated and we decided to take our children and leave.
Two or three times a day we had air raid alerts. We could only last about half an hour, but when the kids were asleep at night... The older one held on, but the younger daughter kept asking me questions: "Mommy, when can we sleep peacefully?" We decided for the sake of our daughters. The younger one is 12, she's vulnerable. My older daughter is twenty-one, she's kept all right.
The Russian invasion began on the morning of 24th February. Can you tell us how you and your family reacted that day?
It's quite difficult to talk about it. I remember my brother called us at six o'clock in the morning. He had taken a video on his way to work from our local airport in Kolomyja, where three bombs had been dropped. His video was the first thing I saw that morning. The first day in general was terrifying, like a nightmare. We didn't know what was happening. We were very scared. At first, we thought that the invasion would cover the whole territory, but on the second and third day we adapted to the situation. We realized that it was still relatively calm in the west. It's still hard to look back.
How did you feel about the period before the invasion? Did you think then that the situation might escalate into an armed conflict?
Around the 15th of February, I began to feel that something might happen. A lot of people were optimistic, they said it wouldn't happen. They said that Russia would not allow it. There were hopes that everything would be all right again. But the fear was there, and it soon turned out to be well-founded. But to be honest, we didn't prepare. We suspected that such a situation might arise, but we still believed that it would turn out well.
How long did it take you to get here?
I left on 28th February. We arrived in Prague at 11 p.m. the next day. My daughters and I used the shuttle bus from Černovice. There were only women and children on that bus. There was one man with his family, but they wouldn't let him cross the border. The journey is long and difficult, but we arrived safely.
So, there were no problems on the way?
No, the journey was OK. We were treated very well at the Hungarian border. Nobody bothered us, on the contrary, they tried to help us with the registration. It took about twenty minutes and everything was fine, although my younger daughter only had her birth certificate. We waited at the border for about 12 hours. In total, it took us 30 hours to get there, because it took another 12 hours to get from Hungary to Prague.
How did you and your daughters get to Prague? Did you have to change trains on the way?
No, the bus picked us up at the Hungarian border and took us to Prague.
Why did you choose the Czech Republic, specifically Prague?
We have a lot of friends here, otherwise I don't really know where we would have gone. They offered us to stay here for a while. Hopefully until things calm down. We hope that in a few days things will change for the better. We're always watching the news and hoping we can get back as soon as possible.
Do you know anything more about your friends in Ukraine? Are they planning to stay in the country or do they want to leave?
Many of my friends and some of my family have stayed in Ukraine, including my younger sister and my brother, both of whom have young children. My mother also stayed there. For now, they are waiting to see how the situation develops. If, God forbid, it gets dramatically worse, they will leave too. Not everyone can leave. My sister's older daughter is sick, she can't travel far. My brother can't leave the border, and his wife with a small child won't leave without him. Everyone has different concerns. Some say they will not leave under any circumstances; it is a shame for them to leave the country at this time. It's hard to explain... I didn't want to leave and I know there are people who condemn leaving. But it's not an easy decision. Something's pushing you to leave. My children made me do it, because I had a hard time watching them go through the war. I didn't want them to see their mother panicking. That would make them even more afraid.
It's hard to talk about the future at this point. Have you thought about your family's plans?
The future... Well, we're mostly hoping we're only here for a short time. Maybe just a few days and then we can go home. My older daughter is working, my younger daughter is in school. Our life is in Ukraine. Hopefully the situation will be resolved and we can go back home.
Thank you for the interview.
