Daria spoke about the evacuation from Kharkov and the homeland that was lost in the occupation/Collage 24 channels At one moment, everything familiar and familiar was destroyed by the Russian invaders. Families were divided, people felt lonely. However, even in such a whirlpool of suffering and pain, Ukrainians proved that we are extraordinary, the only ones and ours everywhere. Wherever we are in Ukraine, we are at home.
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- 1″I had a panic, I couldn't connect the words”: how the war started for Daria
- 2″If you die, then in Ukraine”: about not wanting to go abroad
- 3″When the invaders hit the airport in Kharkiv, I realized that I had to leave”
- 4″I was accepted into the family, now I – elder sister”: about life in Lviv
- 5″Home is home”: Daria dreams of seeing her parents and is grateful to the people who accepted her
- 6 “Better to leave home than wait for it to arrive”: advice to residents of occupied cities
OWN. Stories of those who left to return.
As part of the SVOI project, Channel 24 tells the story of Daria. The girl is from Berdyansk, in the Zaporozhye region. Her parents and boyfriend stayed there.
Before the war, Daria lived in Kharkov, where she studied in the specialty “Advertising and Video Art”. It was in Kharkov that the girl was when Russia began to attack the city on the night of February 24.
So from the first days of the full-scale invasion, Daria was herself. Fortunately, at different stages of the war, she met bright people on her way.
Daria's life before the war/Photo courtesy of Channel 24
On Channel 24, we continue the OWN project about people who were forced by the hellish war to leave home and look for a new one. To preserve their memories and pass them on to the world. To talk about incredible people helping each other. To show that in any corner of Ukraine we are all OWN. These conversations are not easy. From them squeezes in the chest, but they must be heard.
“I had a panic, I could not connect the words”: how the war began for Daria
On February 24, the Ukrainians woke up from the sounds of explosions. How did the war start for you?
I was in a hostel, which is actually located in the center of Kharkov. I used to have a bad habit of staying awake at night. On the night of February 24, I went to bed closer to five o'clock. When suddenly I heard explosions. For some reason I thought it was some kind of fireworks. Although I was very surprised, because what fireworks can be at night. I realized that something was wrong here.
My young man called me, he is in the Zaporozhye region. First message: “The war has begun”. After that, he wrote that they were urgently called to the shelter, because on the first day of a full-scale invasion, there were also explosions in Berdyansk.
I immediately rushed to call my parents. But the connection was so bad that I was able to get through only the seventh time. I had a panic, I could not connect the words. Fortunately, they said that everything was fine with them.
It was unsafe in Kharkov from the first days of the war. The explosions that had been heard in the morning calmed down a bit only closer to 11 o'clock.
The cat that Daria hid with her in shelter from Russian shelling/Photo courtesy of Channel 24
Did you have any action plan?< /p>
I immediately ran to withdraw money from the card. I wanted to go home to my family as soon as possible.
“If you die, then in Ukraine”: about not wanting to go abroad
Didn't you think then that Berdyansk might be under occupation and it would be dangerous to go there? Wouldn't you like to go abroad?
In fact, I have an opinion that I still adhere to: if you die, then in Ukraine.I don't want to go abroad yet. I stayed in Kharkov for almost a month. The first 4 days of the war, when Berdyansk was not yet occupied, I tried with all my might to go home. But I couldn't find how to get there. All my friends and acquaintances went home on the first day, and I actually stayed on my own.
Note that Berdyansk was occupied by the Russians for the fourth day after the full-scale invasion. Communication problems periodically arose in the communities. People could not contact their relatives and did not know anything about their fate. This happened with Daria, all of whose relatives ended up in the occupied territory. She herself was cut off from them not only by distance, but also by lack of communication.
My relative also lived in Kharkov, who called me to her place so that I would not be alone. She lived near the airport. Later it turned out that this was a big mistake. Because the Russians dropped bombs there first of all. Because I was actually under fire all the time. We didn't hear the sirens at all. I learned about air raid alerts only when they wrote about it in telegram groups.
We understood that it was time to go down to the basement when they were already starting to shoot. Airplanes flew constantly. We went to the basement with bags of things. I don't have any things. From the hostel, I took only my laptop for training and 2-3 things.
Daria in hiding/Photo courtesy of Channel 24
Did your relatives stay in Berdyansk?
Unfortunately, yes.
Would you like to take them out?
My mother and I are constantly talking about her leaving for Zaporozhye. But she has a million excuses. Previously, my mother could not leave because of the grandmother she was caring for, but now she is afraid that she will not be able to find a new job.
Unfortunately, the grandmother died in the occupation. Daria never had time to say goodbye to her.
“When the invaders hit the airport in Kharkiv, I realized that I had to leave”
Now you are in Lviv. At what point did you realize that it was dangerous to stay in Kharkiv?
I thought about it all the time, but didn't know where to go. I thought it was scary to go where I don't have friends. And when the invaders hit the airport, I realized that the time had come. By the way, a few days after I left, the Russians got into a neighboring building near the house of my relative. I didn't know how to leave. The first task was to get from the airport area to the railway station. It was impossible. A taxi cost sky-high money, which I, a student, did not have. And the metro was no longer working, people were hiding there.
My boyfriend helped me. Through 300 acquaintances, he found volunteers who took people to the railway station. Then I realized that there was no point in returning to the Zaporozhye region. I did not want to leave for the occupation. Miraculously, my boyfriend found a friend who knew the man who eventually took me in.
“I was adopted into the family, now I'm – older sister”: about life in Lviv
It's amazing. What was your evacuation like?
I was accepted into the family. I rode for 22 hours standing. Therefore, the first thing I did when I got into a new apartment was to fall asleep. I didn't eat anything. Just fell asleep.
Daria's 22-hour evacuation by train/Photo provided by Channel 24
The people who sheltered Daria received her with warmth and love. In the “new” family, she helps with household chores to somehow thank for the hospitality.
I was accepted into the family as an older sisterThe family has a 5-year-old daughter and a 15-year-old son. I actually became a nanny and an older sister. We became friends with the children. I do ordinary things here, like at home: I clean, I help, I cook. I quickly became a part of the family. There were no problems.
Daria in a new family/Photo provided by Channel 24
What was the hardest part of the evacuation?
The hardest thing was when I first arrived in Lviv. It was at this moment that the Russians for the first time turned off mobile communications in the occupied territories. I could not get through to my mother and say that everything is fine with me. I couldn't ask if they were safe. I had a panic.
Plus, I've never been to Lviv. There were a lot of people at the station. And they were all together, and I was alone. It was scary that I was all alone.
due to the war, Daria actually lost 2 houses: in Berdyansk and Kharkov, but thanks to caring people, she was able to find shelter, a new home.
How did you manage to calm down?
I just pulled myself together, moved away from the crowd. In the end, and managed to master the emotions.
“A home is a home”: Daria dreams of seeing her parents and is grateful to the people who accepted her
Do you think your “second” home is really your home now? And the people nearby, who seemed to be completely strangers, have become family?
A house is a house. Every day I think about what I want to go back to Berdyansk. Even though he is small. I really want to see my mother whom I haven't seen for half a year. Dad… I'm not saying that the people who received me are completely alien to me, but I feel like a guest. And I am very uncomfortable that I live with them for free.
Although my mother, sending me money, told me to give some part of this family. But the people who accepted me refuse. Only once did I manage to give them money. But they did not keep them for themselves, but gave them to the needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
“It's better to leave your home than wait for him to arrive”: advice to residents of occupied cities
What can you say to people who are afraid to leave their parents' homes and move to safer places? What advice would you give them?
I can understand them. I also sat in Kharkov until the last. But I don't think you should be afraid. Do not be afraid to ask for help, turn to volunteers. And do not be afraid to leave your home, because it is better to look for him somewhere than to wait for him to arrive at your house.
Can you say that your new life began in Lviv, or is it still “on pause”?
I think I'm just waiting now. I really want to return. I live with the flow, but I hope that I can still return to my usual life, my studies.
I am infinitely grateful to the people and the city who accepted me. But a home is a home.
What will you do after the victory?
I'll buy a ticket and go to my family. And I'll probably pay. Because the war has been going on for so long. I will be discouraged for a long time, because my grandmother did not catch the victory, which will certainly be ours.
