war story
Schulenberg, Germany - Dec 28, 2022
Childrenwithout childhood
Children
without childhood
aiThe war is a distress for all of us, but I'm most hurt for our children. The official count now in December 2022 is 450 died, 864 wounded, thousands forcibly removed to Russia since February 24 2022.
aiI was waiting for an evacuation train in the city of Kropivnitsky together with a young woman. She has two sons: one of them was almost 9 years old and the other a newborn baby. She was going to Poland. It's difficult to imagine how she is there, in a foreign country with two little children.
aiFor schoolchildren abroad like my younger son, it's not easy — they are without friends, all around it is not native, there is a foreign language at school. Most of them are continuing studies in a Ukrainian school online in the evening, after going to school where they are living now during the day. We parents would like them to know the Ukrainian language, literature, history.
aiSome of my son's classmates are in Ukraine and sometimes I can hear during online lessons: "Sorry, but I didn't do the homework, I didn't have electricity all day long" or "I have to leave the lesson, I have to run to the shelter, there are explosions."
aiMy heart is broken. Recently in the news I read about providing protective body armor for children. It's the reality in Ukraine now....
For today, at 555 day of russian full-scale invasion, more than 500 children have been killed in Ukraine, more than 1000 were injured
aiAnd it's very difficult with little children in evacuation. They can't understand why they have to leave their home without their favorite things, why their fathers aren't with them. I recently heard the answer of a mother to her 4 year-old son: "Russian occupants want to take away your toys and books, daddy stayed in Ukraine to protect them."
aiMy older son is at Kharkiv University. A lot of girls are studying with him and now there are only 3 boys. All of them are in different locations: some at home, some abroad, and some in occupied territories. The terrorist state has stolen their best years, trying to leave them without a future.
aiBefore Christmas a lot of people were sharing in social media what they would love, and I'm reading: "I want my father to come back from war, from captivity." "I want the war to be finished next year." "I want Santa Claus to bring our soldiers the force of MARVEL superheroes."
aiAnd I found my 11-year-old son's plan for Russia in 2023 in his notebook: 1) isolation, 2) discontent of the people, 3) anger of the people, 4) violence, 5) revolution.
aiMy dream in the new year of 2023 — it is Ukrainian Victory. Santa Claus, give our children back their childhood.
aiFor oday, at 555 day of russian full-scale invasion, more than 500 children have been killed in Ukraine, more than 1000 were injured
