Runaways from Hell: Refugees Tell How They Escaped Ukrainian Cities Shelled by Invaders
People received the necessary help and support.
After the month of living under continuous bombings, the families of emergency responders from Donetsk Region have finally reached Zakarpattia. Because of active combats, the train trip took more than 24 hours. All that time, the exhausted people essentially slept standing up, because the train just didn’t have enough seats for everyone. People at Uzhhorod train station were already waiting for refugees to meet them, offer a meal and help them to get to the neighboring Hungary for accommodation.
“It was a very difficult trip, because our train often had to stop because of active combats”, Viktoria Shpak, a refugee from Kramatorsk, recalls.
“I was sitting all night. Recently I had a surgery, so it was very hard for me to keep sitting… only in the morning, someone found a place for me, so I could have some rest, while my daughter simply slept on the floor”. Tetiana Arapetian from Dnipro says.
Ms. Anzhela with her son, Hlib, were lucky to escape from Mariupol. Because of continuous Russian bombings, they spent a month in the cold basement slowly running low on food and water. To save her child and herself from starvation, the woman made a brave decision to escape the besieged city on foot. They walked more than 20 kilometers constantly risking their lives and hiding from enemy shells and bullets.
“We were enormously lucky, because some people picked us up on the way. After we reached Berdiansk, Ukrainian humanitarian convoys carried us to Zaporizhzhia”, Anzhela Gliadia, a refugee from Mariupol recalls.
The family’s cat, Lord, escaped the besieged city together with its owners. The family recalls how they hold and carried their pet with the last ounce of strength simply because they couldn’t leave it to die.
The first thing waiting for exhausted refugees at the train station is a hot meal with mandatory sweet course.
“We have yogurts, cream puffs, cookies… look at these lunchboxes, we give to the kids to have a bite during further journey”, Olena Trotsenko, a volunteer, explains.
Then, the refugees get into the evacuation bus heading to Hungary.
“A local community offers accommodation at the new compound recently built for senior citizens, but not yet used for intended purpose. All necessary living conditions are ensured there”, Viktor Mykyta, the Head of Zakarpattia Regional Military Administration, emphasizes.
Zakarpattia rescuers help the families of their Eastern colleagues to get to Hungary. It’s the least they can do to help, the responders say.
“We’ve already lost more than twenty emergency service officers after the start of war. In Kyiv Region, the firefighters were dispatched to extinguish a fire at the wasteland, but ran onto anti-tank mine. The vehicle exploded”, Roman Hudak, the Head of the State Emergency Service in Zakarpattia recalls.
Mrs. Anna welcomes women and children who refuse to go abroad at the train station.
“I welcome people at my place. Everyone can move in and live for free. I offer accommodation with all living conditions. Anything you want, you will find here”, Mrs. Anna tells.
The woman doesn’t need to hear the refugee stories to understand the meaning of the war. Once she learned it the hard way herself. Mrs. Anna survived the World War II: “I had my skull crashed. Germans beat a hell out of me and threw me into the nettle bushes, because they thought I was dead. The people searched for me to bury, but found me alive and brought me to hospital. That’s how I survived and still run on my feet today”.
“I’m most worried about the safety of my child. She’s so young, her life just started, she hasn’t even seen anything yet. I just want her life to continue”, Olena Panchenko, who escaped Kramatorsk, says.
The Hungarian Consulate officers promise they’ll do everything to help young Ukrainians and their moms to forget the nightmares of war.
“We provide accommodation and food, we try to make the life for these people as comfortable as possible. We also work to offer some leisure activities, entrainment programs”, László Kuti, the Consul General of Hungary in Uzhhorod, emphasizes.
Almost 250 thousand Ukrainian refugees found shelter in Hungary after the start of invasion.
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