Anna (17)

April 21, 2022, Bratislava. Day 56 of war.

She has sweet 17. She talked about what she saw and experienceed in almost one breath. Her friends are scattered around the world. Will they ever see each other again? If they didn't leave, she would have to hide all the time and, due to stress, she would not be able to concentrate on even the most ordinary daily activities. Fortunately, she now lives under a calm, peaceful sky in Slovakia. She is studying hard and trying to get into college. And she thinks intensely about those who stayed at home - her father and brother and his family. 

“My name is Anna, I am 17 years old and I have been in Bratislava for 2 weeks now. It all started on February 24, when we were attacked by the Russian Federation. We slept sweetly at half past four in the morning, then the first news on TV and on the radio came. On 23rd we lived an ordinary, normal life. Everyone had some plans, dreams, it was a day like any other. I went to school, after school we went for a walk with friends, to swim, we thought about what we would do the next day. Everything was full of positive emotions, we did not even suspect that anything could happen. There was talk about it, but no one believed it. I just went to bed, I had no premonitions or bad feelings. I was expecting ordinary joys and problems happening the next day. On the 24th, my mother woke me at 6 in the morning, I hadn't even had time to open my eyes, and she was already telling me that the war had started. The shock cannot even be described. I thought it was a dream I couldn't wake up from. Unfortunately, it was not a dream. I panicked, I didn't understand what was going on, I didn't know what to expect. It was something you were not ready for. When I understood what was going on, my life was already divided into before and after. Sirens were heard more and more often, I didn't register the missiles at first, but it was also only a matter of time. People began to buy goods in bulk, withdraw money from banks. We also pre-stocked. We were lucky to live in a house, we had our own cellar stocked with jams, cucumbers, tomatoes, etc. It was a cold place to store food, but not a good place for people. We started packing up and preparing for the evacuation.” 

“We were on our way somewhere between Kiev and Russia, we didn't know if our city would be leveled with the ground or whether the Russians would just pass us by. Our close family, who lived closer to the border, moved in with us. The reports said that Russian tanks were coming towards us. Less than 6 hours after the start of the war, I have heard not only sirens, but also explosions and gunfire. At that time we moved into the basement. Its size was 2x2 meters, and there were five of us and one dog in there. The tanks did not meet with significant resistance in our city. But they ran over a family in a car that was trying to escape. My friend's house, which was no different from the others, was blown up just like that. The glow from the explosion was visible all the way to our home. Next they (the Russians) walked around a long block of flats, which they just shot at, so many lost their windows and balconies.” 

“My mom had a birthday on 25th. We wanted to celebrate. So we went to the kitchen, sat down at the table, prepared food, but we heard explosions. We didn't know if we should stay in the house or run to the basement again. In the next days the Russians continued in the direction of Kiev. Our city remained more or less untouched, there were shelled houses, a destroyed production plant, but we ended up well compared to other cities. We got used to the fact that in the middle of the night we had to run to the basement at the sound of sirens. Sometime in early March, Russian military combat aircraft even flew over us, it was during the night, my father saw them with his own eyes. We were lucky they didn't throw anything at us. We lived in an occupied city from which there was almost no escape. Even if you wanted to leave, they could always stop you somewhere, it was very risky. Some have succeeded and some have not. My friends and family safely moved all the way to the Czech Republic. The other acquaintances had their car destroyed, they were shot at. During the first days there were problems with some foods, for example bread could not be found, but then everything calmed down and there were no major problems. Some shops were no longer open, so potatoes, pasta and food with long shelve life were often missing.” 

“We did not get from under the occupation until April 4, when the last Russian troops left our city. We knew we wanted to leave, so we went in the direction of Kiev, and from there to Uzhhorod. The journey to Kiev was not easy at all, as it was almost completely mined. We had to look for new roads and detours. Everywhere we saw destroyed army equipment, shot down civilian cars, imprints of tank belts, various sighns, check points, of which there were about 10. We experienced a lot of stress, because at one point we got in a queue behind a tank that was fortunately ours, but we were afraid that the Russians could shoot at it and shoot at us at the same time. Anti-tank hedges were waiting for us in front of Kiev, the city was well prepared and protected. We were greeted at the station by volunteers who fed us and put us on a train to Uzhhorod. During the trip we experienced one very close shooting of the village, which was by the track. In Uzhhorod, volunteers took us to the border with Slovakia. There the Slovaks took us over, they fed us, gave us a drink, took us to Michalovce, where we received everything we needed. They also registered us there. They found us accommodation in Bratislava, so we got on the train again, and now we are safe here.” 

“I can't stop thinking about what's going on at our home in Konotope. My father stayed there with his brother and his family. They have a 5-month-old child. The city is more or less safe at the moment, as there are no Russian occupiers. I am in contact with friends, some are at home, some are scattered all over Europe, in western Ukraine and one friend is even here in Bratislava. I believe we will all see each other again soon.” 

“This war has no logic. However, it taught us to appreciate the quiet sky, the stability, that you can plan another day, that you can go to school. It is not true that people were restricted in any way in our country, that someone could not speak Russian. It's all in his (Piutin) head. He doesn't like us, that's why it's happening.” 

“If I wasn't in Bratislava, I would probably listen to sirens every day and hide. We have a two-wall rule, so I'd probably be trying to protect myself in the hallway, covering my head. If there was no alarm, maybe I would go for a walk, or I would be sitting at home trying to learn. I would watch the series, communicate with friends over the phone. When this (the war) is happening around you, you are so stressed that you are not able to do even such ordinary everyday things. We lived like this for more than a month.” 

“My godfather and my father's brother live in Belgorod, a city in Russia, not far from the Ukrainian border, near Kharkiv. I am not in contact with him personally, but my father is. He understands our position, but since he lives in Russia, contact with him is very limited. He may be against the war, but indirectly, by paying taxes, he sponsors the Russian army. My mother has an aunt in Belarus, we stopped talking to them from the first day of the war. They also wrote to us asking how we were doing, and we answered: guess how can we be doing when enemy troops attack us from your territory? They probably got offended and they don't even know we are in Slovakia.”