Iryna’s Survival Story

My name is Iryna and my story begins on February 23, 2022.

I had fallen asleep the night before in my home, which I always considered my place of stability and complete happiness. I had everything. I had the family I dreamed of…a beloved husband, a son, and a newborn daughter. I had a job that I didn't even have to leave during maternity leave. I had a life that was just right, one that any woman could find joy in.

I woke up the morning of February 24th, not yet knowing that war had already invaded my country.

I had a nice quiet morning feeding my newborn daughter as usual. I checked Facebook. I remember the cold sweat that covered me immediately. I have read about cold sweats many times in books, but I have never experienced it myself.

My husband had already left for work, so I began calling him. He said he was aware of the situation because extremely loud explosions could be heard by his office.

 

Tokmuk, Iryna’s home city in the southeast of Ukraine, in occupied territory.

I started to panic and I ran from room to room not knowing what to do. I remember how I explained to my oldest son that he would not go to school that day because the war had started.

Two days of complete confusion followed. Reliable information was really hard to get from anyone and we didn’t know what to do.

Thankfully, on February 26th, a good friend called us and told us to go into our basement to seek shelter.

After half an hour it started.

Hours later that same day, our city was overrun and occupied by Russian forces.

The following night an even worse battle erupted. We sat in the basement with only a candle on after the power had gone out. With every rocket blast, we would have to re-light it. My son cried and begged us to save him from dying. It was my 33rd birthday.

We survived the bombing without any damage to our house. We lived for a full month under occupation, of which almost two weeks was without electricity, water, and any communication with the outside world.

My newborn daughter was only one month old…I couldn't even wash her properly. I spent that time in complete fear. After every explosion, even a distant one, I grabbed my children and ran to the basement, no matter if it was day or night.

We reached a breaking point and decided we needed a strategy to escape. It was impossible to live like this. It was an extremely painful and difficult night when my husband and I made the decision to leave our home that we loved.

Our road trip to escape to a safer city took two days. Two full days to drive only 100 kilometers. But we considered ourselves lucky. Some of our other friends around the country had travel to safety for over a week.

At the last Russian checkpoint to escape occupied territory, we were not allowed to pass. Seeking an alternate way out, my husband took on the responsibility of leading a small line of civilian cars on a detour to avoid checkpoints and go through backroads to escape. It was extremely risky because we had to sneak out quietly and we weren’t sure if there would be a different checkpoints in another places.

I remember how we drove those few kilometers. Behind every tree I could see a tank. We experienced even more shelling around us on the way.

My body was tense, every moment I was ready to cover the children. Finally, we escaped occupied territory. I’ve never been so glad to see a Ukrainian flag.

Everyone started to rejoice, cry together, and call their relatives. It was not over for us yet.

We were now refugees. For some time, we lived in Zaporizhzhia. Fortunately, we made new friends quickly and got connected with everyone at Save a Life International’s Zaporizhzhia Life Center. They were glad to pray, support, and provide basic necessities.

I want to thank Elina, the Life Center director, for meeting me on our path. The Life Center is an island of goodness in the world. We quickly became a family. Thank you.

Because of even more shelling and daily bombings, we were forced to drive on from that beautiful city. I don't know where we will be tomorrow, but I believe that we will return home after the war ends.

I have faith God will give us another child and I hope that I can enjoy motherhood without fear. I dream of opening a small cozy family cafe, with areas for children to play.

I don't fully see myself in another city. My soul and my heart are in Tokmak, Ukraine, our hometown. I know that our home is waiting for us. If our home does not survive the shelling, I will rebuild every brick, as my grandmother once did with her descendants fifty years ago. We will live….