Help keep the Ukrainian refugee center safe.

Hello,

This is PeaceWinds Korea Emergency Aid Team.

On October 1st, we had opportunity to interview new comers of NCUM shelter Natalia and Vika. We would like to share with you a heartbreaking story of these refugees we heard that day.

The NCUM(National Congress of Ukrainians in Moldova), a Moldovan NGO, is established by Ukraine to support Moldova. NCUM is managing a temporary shelter (RAC) for the population displaced from Ukraine to Moldova and help them to move safely to Germany and other European countries. They also support settlement in that area, where refugee want to live.

The NCUM’s refugees story

Natalia (62 years old) arrived in Moldova on 30 of September

Natalia was living in the Mykolayu city, a city about 4-5 km from the Russian-occupied territory. She just retired and she hoped that she will live peacefully after retirement, but war broke out. Many people died during bombing, and building where she used to work was also destroyed.

Natalia’s daughter-in-law and her grandson were taken by the Russian army to Russian territory and have been living in Kazan for 5 months now. Her sister and son remained in the Kyiv province, Ukraine, and Natalia came to NCUM shelter alone on September 30th. She has never been abroad and has no passports.

“I didn’t want to leave my house at all. I thought that I would be able to live comfortably in my own home after retirement, but now I can't do that either. About 2~3 more bombs were dropped every night. On September 21, around 5:30 PM, a bomb was dropped at a bus stop near my house. Twelve people were injured and three people died. I was so scared. That bus stop was the one I often use to visit my sister.”

Her son is divorced, and after divorce her grandson and daughter-in-law were lived in Rubizhne(a region located in eastern Ukraine). Then, the Rubizhne was attacked and her daughter-in-law and grandson had to hide in underground for three weeks. Unfortunately, her daughter-in-law couldn’t evacuate with the Ukrainians. As well as she has three children and her youngest is only three years old baby. Besides, she has grandfather who is very weak and cannot walk long.

One day, a car approached to the underground where they were hiding and people from that car told them to get into car if they want to get out from underground. First, they took them to Svatove, Ukraine, where they stayed for a few nights, and then they took them to Kazan, a Russian territory. Natalia says Kazan isn't that bad place and she glad that her daughter-in-law and grandson are in Kazan, not in other region.

Natalia didn’t immediately decided to leave Ukraine. One day, early in the morning a bomb dropped for the first time to the city where she used to live at. At the sound of a explosion, she ran outside. She didn’t understand what is going on. When she was going to work, she heard some women were talking that their husbands are soldiers, and that they said a war had begun. It was then that Natalia realized what was going on. She left the Mykolaiv City with her son on the afternoon of the same day and lived in Kyiv for 4 to 5 months.

“First we moved to a nearby village and lived there for about a month. Then we moved to Kiev (Northern Ukraine) and lived there for 4-5 months. But you know, I just want to go to my own home. You understand me, right?”

One day she hears that there are less shooting in the Mykolayu city, a city where Natalia's house is, and she decides to come back to home on September 28th. But the next day, on September 29, a bomb fell on a ninth-floor apartment near her home, and people were killed again in font of her eyes. She saw it from her balcony.

“I was so scared. You never know when or from where a bomb will drop. I was so anxious and scared that I barely could fall asleep. I slept a few hours during the day, a few hours in the evening, and at night I have no choice but to hide in the bathroom trembling with fear. My shelter was a bathroom. Accidental Emergency Broadcast says everyone to evacuate, but there is no shelter in the city where people can evacuate. My daughter-in-law invited me to Kazan, Russia to live with them. I love my grandson so much. But I can't go there. I cannot live in Russia, you know?”

Vika, 38, arrived in Moldova on 30 September with her two daughters.

Vika was living in the city of Mikolayu, and she fled to Moldova on September 30thwith her two daughters. She also didn’t want to leave Ukraine, but bombs kept falling on the city. After she saw it with her own eyes, she decided that she could no longer be in the city and she left the city with daughters.

She said that after bombs dropped on the city, people were extremely terrified and were unable to go outside. But, she decided that she had to leave to save her daughters’ life.

“I didn’t want to leave home until the very end. But when bombing started in the city, I couldn't stay there any longer. I was scared. My daughters’ life is precious. I had to leave only to protect their life.”

Vika is going to Germany, waiting for the bus that will take them to Germany. We sincerely hope that she and her daughters will be fine.

Peace Winds Korea will continue to do our best to support refugees in need. Thank you.