Ten days ago, I have left Kharkiv, in Ukraine and headed west.
My parents and my in-laws have agreed to take my dogs and cats. They stayed in Kharkiv.
My husband and I took our 10-months old daughter and one dog and headed west to find a safer place where my husband would be able to work. I was on the brink of bursting into tears when I was saying goodbye to mom and pets.
When we were leaving the city, we were stopped by soldiers at a block post for a standard passport control. Instead of looking at our documents, the man in uniform looked at our baby and gave us two boxes of chocolates. This was the moment when I started crying.
I feel incredibly guilty for having left my parents and my dogs and cats in this hell. I guess I should have stayed with them. Although having a small baby in my hands all the time, I doubt that I would have been of any use.
Yesterday, our neighbour said that her family have left as well. A projectile has got into our fence, and shooting is becoming closer and closer every day. There is still no electricity and water in our village. Many people are leaving. Many animals become abandoned. It is five km from Kharkiv, where the situation is pretty much the same.
People of Ukraine have gathered together to help each other.
In every city where we stopped, we were offered free accommodation and food. Locals have turned film studios, student dorms into places where refugees can stay for a night.
They let everyone in, with cats and dogs. Not every place was equipped like a five-star hotel, but I was happy to be able to get hot water and a bowl to wash my child for the first time since the war started.
Now we are comparatively safe.
We still hear air raid alerts, but shops work here and there are no queues to pharmacies. My husband works to provide us with money and to provide the country with taxes to fund army. I do my best to arrange help to the places where people and animals need it.
At the moment, the biggest problems are lack of volunteers and fuel. Most of people in Kharkiv, Kyiv and other hot spots are hiding in underground or in basements. Not many people agree to drive under bombs, and I absolutely understand them. Petrol is in deficit. People who have electric cars mostly help bring medicines to hospitals. We have a lot of food for animals and people donated from Western Ukraine and other countries. But it is a challenge to bring this food to shelters where animals and people are starving.
Now I am doing my best to find people and diesel or electric vehicles who can help bring food to the shelters.
May peace finally come to us.
Thank you for your support!
