March 12, 2022 News

The war in Ukraine has already forced Lyudmila and her son to move twice

Although the Russian invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022, the protracted war has started in 2014 when the Donetsk and Luhansk regions self-proclaimed the independent republics. Lyudmila and her son had to leave their home in Luhansk back then. Now, eight years later, the same sad situation found them in the suburbs of Kyiv. Fortunately, thanks to the help of Caritas, they have now found a temporary home in Ternopil, located in western Ukraine.

The way home is closed

Lyudmila's departure from Luhansk eight years ago came out of the blue. "My son and I went to Kharkiv so that he could take the university entrance exams there. At that time, it didn't seem like there was going to be a war in Luhansk. We left with one suitcase thinking we will return home soon,” Lyudmila explains.

But on the way, they noticed that Ukrainian flags were being taken down from the flagpoles at the Luhansk train station. They did not understand what was happening and Lyudmila had tears in her eyes. "Luhansk was my home, I couldn't believe it. I still remember that moment vividly," she recalls.

It was clear to both of them that they could not return home to pro-Russian separatist-controlled Luhansk. So they stayed in Kharkiv for two years. Lyudmila found a new job there and her son started studying at the university.

They have to leave their new-found home once again

After two years, they decided to move again. The company Lyudmila had previously worked for in Luhansk moved to a new location in Brovary, a suburb of Kyiv.

However, that lasted for only 6 years. Eventually, the war drove them out of here too. The massive bombing of Kyiv by the Russian army forced Lyudmila and her son to flee for the second time. "We couldn't stand it. The attack started on Thursday, 24 February, and we had to flee the capital the next day,” Lyudmila says.

Thanks to Caritas, we have a roof over our heads now

Lyudmila and her son now found a temporary place to stay in Ternopil, located in the western part of the country where Caritas sheltered them. “Many thanks to Caritas for giving us a place to stay. We have lost our home twice in the last few years and I can't imagine what we would have done. My son is still a student, he has no experience in the army, that’s is why they didn’t recruit him. We both take part in the humanitarian activities now.”

"Even though it's hard and many people tell us to leave Ukraine, we don't want to do that. This is country, our home. We want to stay and live in peace. We believe that one day it will happen," Lyudmila concludes with determination.

The war in Ukraine is one of the biggest challenges for the Caritas network in the last decade. We provide shelter, food, medicine and sanitary facilities to hundreds of thousands of people in need. We appreciate your help. Every contribution counts.

Thank you for helping with us.