Polina (28)

June 8, 2022, Zilina. Day 104 of war.

She ran away alone and underwent a risky journey towards freedom and peace. Today, she helps others with the same fate as hers. Thanks to her excellent English, she helps to interpret and ensure the daily running of the asylum center as a volunteer. She was fully aware of the consequences of what would happen if she stayed home. Her hometown is part of the occupied zone, where the Russians are introducing new rules. No one can get away. If one tries to escape, he risks his life. Or he can go to Russia. However, no one knows the consequences of this decision. Her dream destination was Britain, where, thanks to her knowledge of the language, she wouldn't have a big problem settling in and starting a new life. A country where, unlike at home, she will be able to freely express her opinion and not fear for her life. But her plans have changed, she decided to stay in Slovakia and is looking for a job. She is grateful to the Slovak family that is still hosting her like their own daughter.

“I left alone, my parents decided to stay and today they are already in the area that is occupied by the Russians. I no longer had any prospects for a good life at home, there was nowhere to work, the situation was getting worse. I left on my own because the humanitarian corridors did not work. You leave home knowing that you might not get any further, that you might get shot on the way. I decided to leave on March 26, and the journey across Ukraine took me 5 days, of which I spent one whole day trying to get out of Kherson. There were check points everywhere, where they checked us. It is no longer possible to go away from the city, or even to the city today. The situation is dangerous. Cars trying to leave the city are often under fire and people do not reach their destination.” 

“An acquaintance woke me up at 5 in the morning of February 24, saying that the war had started. I lived not far from the airport, so I could already see from the window that something was happening, smoke was rising from the airport. The intensity of the explosions increased. That day I moved in with my parents because they live downstairs, in a safer area. I quickly packed everything, took the cat, and went to them. At first we only heard explosions, but gradually the Russians fought their way into the city. We started spending more and more time in the basement. Next to our street was a park where the enemy had dug trenches and store military equipment. We saw snipers on the roofs of houses. Our street was the entrance to the city, that's why fierce fights broke out there. A large part of our defenders and partisans were simply killed by the Russians. That was the beginning of the occupation. Food problems began to arise. We were lucky that we had two apartments, both my parents and I had some supplies, but those who did not buy things in advance had no way to get less durable products over time.” 

“After the occupation began, the anti-aircraft alarm was turned off. We only went to hide when we heard explosions. About 20 of us were hiding in the basement, together with the children. You couldn't go out in the evening during the occupation, you couldn't even hide. We stayed in the apartment only, and we followed the rule of three walls. Our apartment was built in such a way that we didn't have to move the furniture. Although it is true that if a shell from a tank hit our house, not even the three walls would save us.” 

“We saw the Russians from our windows. They raced under our windows on tanks, military vehicles, stolen cars. They even had soldiers on our roof. I was not in contact with them, but my mother asked them why they had come, if they really meant it all. They were surprised that we were not happy about their arrival, they thought that they had come to save us from something. Other soldiers did not respond to questions after that, and today, the regime in the city is such that if you speak your mind, you will face dire consequences.” 

“My friends in Kherson and other parts of Ukraine stayed at home, none of them wanted to leave. I also have friends who see war differently. If we talk about it, we argue. They think the US is behind everything and our area should become a part of Russia. I think that Ukraine should remain Ukraine. Kherson will forever be Ukraine for me. It hurts me a lot when they express themselves like this, we don't understand each other at all.” 

“I taught English before the war. Now I teach at least remotely, I still have two students left. I'm looking for a job in the meantime. Unfortunately, the parents don't want to leave, they have an apartment there, their whole life. They guard their apartment and mine because the Russians steal everything they can. If the situation were to get very bad, they are ready to leave, but it is very difficult. From what I've read, only 5% of people survive such an escape from the occupied areas, the rest is being shot somewhere halfway. All the roads are closed, mined, the chances of escape are really slim. They will shoot at you just because you have an Ukrainian car, pretending that they are fighting our army. The last story I read was about a girl who accompanied her father on the way to a cancer treatment. They needed to get to another city, but they (the Russians) started shooting at their car. They shot the father, as well as her 5-year-old son. She had to go back, all alone. The only way to get away is through Crimea and Russia. But no one knows what will happen to you once there, because you are going to a refugee camp, where you are checked and sorted. If you pass the selection, you have a chance to go abroad. If not, who knows what camps they will send you to.” 

“I left home because freedom was lost there. I couldn't even go out alone, always only with my parents. Getting in touch with them is also extremely difficult, we hear every second word because of the bad signal. I lost everything. I had to bow down to the Russians and see the evil that is happening here. I couldn't take it mentally. My mother also told me to leave. I can't imagine what I could do there. I couldn't even say goodbye properly. Only my father accompanied me when I was leaving. He took a big risk, it was early in the morning, when curfew was still in place, and they  (the Russians) could have shot us right in the entrance. It was the first time my father told me he loved me. He had never used such words before. It changed him, we became even closer. He is very worried about me and suffers when we can't talk for a long time. He helps me a lot and supports me. He is happy that I am safe. Only when I came here my parents admitted to me that they didn't expect me to be able to do it. I used to be more of a homely girl who liked to be comfortable, but this has changed me a lot.”