The war waged by Putin’s Russia on Ukrainian soil has forced millions of our citizens to seek refuge in safer places. Most of the IDPs were women and children. Since the beginning of hostilities, they have been received by many countries in Europe and the world, most notably neighboring Poland. But many people decided not to cross the border. They were sheltered in communities in western Ukraine, including our Chervonohrad.
The war waged by Putin’s Russia on Ukrainian soil has forced millions of our citizens to seek refuge in safer places. Most of the IDPs were women and children. Since the beginning of hostilities, they have been received by many countries in Europe and the world, most notably neighboring Poland. But many people decided not to cross the border. They were sheltered in communities in western Ukraine, including our Chervonohrad.
Escaping from bomb and missile strikes of the Kremlin horde, people found a roof over their heads in kindergartens №№6, 9, 10, 12, 16, 17, 19, NRC “Dawn”, as well as schools №№8, 9, dormitory Chervonohrad Mining -Economic College, in the hospital in Sosnivka, the Church of Christians of the Evangelical Faith in Levada – a total of 834 people. And another 8,058 people settled with their relatives or friends or rented housing in our cities and villages. Such information was provided by the information policy department of the Chervonohrad City Council.
As of April 19, the City Council’s Department of Labor and Social Protection issued 5,818 certificates of registration of internally displaced persons and accepted 3,570 applications for housing benefits, said Iryna Shmyrko, head of the department.
The correspondent of the newspaper “News of Pribuzhye” talked to the migrants who found shelter in the walls of the Chervonohrad specialized school №8. Here is what they said about their decision to leave everything and go away from the war:
Iryna Spornyk, a resident of the village of Bohorodychne, 4.5 kilometers from the city of Svyatogorsk in the Donetsk region:
– I came to Chervonohrad with my son and husband, leaving a dog and cats for the neighbors. The man is of retirement age, on insulin. And the son is undergoing a medical examination at the military registration and enlistment office, he is unfit for service due to his health condition, we don’t know what they will say. But my son obeys the law.
We left because our guys from the Ukrainian army now need to have as few civilians as possible in the war zone. So that we do not interfere, so that we do not hide behind the aggressor from Russia. But people still remained in our village.
We arrived on April 12. Here we are fine, we do not freeze, the school principal has prepared everything for us. Volunteers help, feed twice in the school canteen. They brought us jam, cookies, tea. We communicate with school teachers, help in the kitchen, weave a camouflage net.
Chervonohrad is a very beautiful city and your people are also good. We are grateful that we were accepted and cared for so well. And most importantly – that the war ended and our guys-defenders were alive!
Kateryna Roenko, a resident of Pokrovsk in the Donetsk region:
– In my 70 years it was very difficult to leave everything and go. I worked hard all my life, raised two children, spent all my money on their education. We never had a refrigerator, I washed it with my hands. And at the age when the children started earning, they bought me a washing machine, a boiler, a blender. They also bought a sewing machine and a refrigerator. Everything I needed for a quiet old age, I already had. Even the gas stove was changed to a new one.
And here I live in peace, and here – the war! It was hard to leave everything, but got together and left. I used to be a tourist-climber, I even put an ice ax in my backpack. Because the previous train was bombed by the Russians. Then, I think, if this happens again, throws people, it will be at least something to dig them up.
She left her beautiful garden. There I have grapes, mulberries, five varieties of apples, two varieties of pears, apricots. My heart is breaking, but what was to be done ?! We were bombed with cluster bombs, two streets were covered, bombed again, two more streets where my daughter lived were covered, and the third time they bombed us through two houses. And then announced the evacuation from Pokrovsk.
The son is a computer scientist, he was transferred to work in Lviv. And the daughter, who has two children, was in Pokrovsk until the last. They just bought a house, I planted mulberry for them, it was a pity to leave everything. But if the Russians kill the children, then what will it be worth ?! The son-in-law repaired the car overnight, and now they are in Kamianets-Podilskyi.
In the past, I was a communications engineer. Where just did not work! I and BAM built for them, and they, bastards, now bomb my Donbas. For what?!
Valentina Novik, a resident of Pokrovskaya:
– We were told that our city would be razed to the ground, like Mariupol. They bombed us. Everything was closed – shops, pharmacies. It was very scary. That’s why we are here.
I lived in Pokrovsk with my son, he worked as a loader in the ATB, and I myself come from Dimitrov. We both arrived in Chervonohrad. We are given a humanist, there is a place to sleep, wash, eat – you will not find this everywhere. We live, we don’t pay, and there is no money. Young people came to us and sang beautifully about God. I do not know what will happen next. I’m just asking that the whole apartment remain, so that there is a ku