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‘Out of tears’, a Ukrainian mother decides to flee
STORY: Yulia Yanchar and her family had just moved in to a newly built house north of the Ukrainian capital Kyiv. Then, war came to their village.YANCHAR (MARCH 4): “We constantly hear explosions here, we already differentiate by ear the different types of sounds, so we understand where the Ukrainian air defence is operating, where the helicopter is flying, where the jet fighter is flying. …I certainly wouldn’t have ever wanted to hear when my six-year-old says: ‘Yeah, it’s the air defence system, mum, don’t worry, let’s keep making pies”.She filmed her family and neighbors cooped up in a bomb shelter waiting out a recent attack, wrapped in blankets for warmth.Amid the distress – Yanchar and her six-year-old daughter Eva have tried to focus on normal, daily activities… like taking their dog Sirko for a walk.EVA: “We will not be afraid of the fight, we will not hide, we will not be scared of the bombs…”YANCHAR: “I try not to cry in front of her, but she still sees my anxiousness. And sometimes I even feel sorry that my child soothes me as an adult and says: ‘Mummy don’t worry, we will win, we will teach them to speak Ukrainian’. My heart just shrinks.”On Saturday (March 5) the family was forced to abandon their home, hopeful that one day they would return.YANCHAR: “We are constantly monitoring all the news. I have just run out of tears to cry. [flash] I really hope that we will survive, because we have just unbelievable people. We have people who are ready to take down tanks with their hands.”“I believe that we will not lose our country, and I believe that we will be living in our country, and I believe that we will be fine and I will plant on my property all those spruces that I’ve been dreaming of.”
