Zahoruiko Mykyta, 17 years old

Winner of the 2024 essay contest, 3st place

Perechyn Professional Lyceum Municipal Institution of the Transcarpathian Regional Council

Teacher who inspired to write an assay - Olesia Andriyivna Haraidych

 

«1000 days of war. My way»

The war in Donbas since 2014 has been a tragic challenge not only for me, but for the whole of Ukraine, and especially for the residents of Donetsk and Luhansk regions. My home village of Sukhi Yaly, like a large part of Donetsk region, was affected by the war and suffered significant material damage. Since then, life in our village has changed dramatically, leaving a deep mark on people's lives.

It is impossible to forget the morning when the explosions broke the peaceful sleep of my family. Life, which had been filled with dreams and plans, suddenly turned into a continuous struggle for survival. I grew up quickly...

We lived like an ordinary Ukrainian family. Years passed in terrible everyday life. Constant shelling, destruction of infrastructure, and threats to life became a daily reality for local residents. Thousands of people were forced to leave their homes and evacuate to safer regions of Ukraine or abroad, but not my family.

We hoped it would be over soon. Constant shelling, fear and uncertainty became everyday life.

And so it went on until June 14, 2022, the day we left our home. Only now I realise how scary it was there... My mother's illness, which required complex treatment, was the last straw that overflowed the cup of patience.

We left not because we were afraid of the war, but because we wanted to help our mother, who had been seriously ill for a year.

The situation was difficult: my mother needed an operation that could only be performed abroad, in Poland. It was not an easy decision to make. There were four other children in our family, besides me. Sasha, Anna and Marina already had their own families and could not leave them. So it was Denys, our older brother, who decided to accompany my mother and me to Poland, taking care of everything.

Staying at home meant risking my mother's life, and going abroad gave us a chance to be saved.

Having packed a few things, we set off into the unknown. The long journey, constant travelling, separation from family and friends - all this was nothing compared to the hope for my mother's recovery. When we arrived in Poland, we found ourselves in a completely different world.

A new language, unfamiliar people, the need to adapt to new conditions - it was not easy. But local residents and volunteers welcomed us with open arms, providing help and support. Mum started treatment.

Meanwhile, in the Donetsk region, in his native village of Sukhi Yaly, the situation was getting worse. The news from our native land was like a knife to the heart.

Despite her illness, my mother tried to support us by telling us interesting stories.

After a long and exhausting treatment in Poland, my mother's health improved. The joy of her recovery was mixed with a longing for her native land, for home. But it was too dangerous to return to the east, where the war had not yet subsided.

Therefore, the family made a difficult decision to start a new life in western Ukraine, namely in the Transcarpathian region, where the older brother Sasha and his wife Tetiana moved in early December 2022.

Me, my older brother Denys and my mother arrived in Perechyn from Poland on December 21, 2022. A picturesque corner of the Turianska Valley is a place where time seems to stand still, and you are completely immersed in an atmosphere of peace and harmony with nature. The first thing that struck us was the incredible warmth and hospitality of the locals.

Despite their own difficulties, people were ready to share the last of their food with us. We felt like welcome guests.

Of course, there were also difficulties. The new environment, the difference in mentality, and especially the dialect, which I can barely understand even today. There were moments when we wanted to return home, but the support of the locals helped us move on.

January 2023 passed quickly. My mother's condition improved. She cheered up, but unfortunately, not for long. In early February 2023, my mother's health deteriorated. And on February 7, 2023, my mother's heart stopped beating.

This is the most terrible day in my life, because nothing scares me as much as the death of my family members. It's very difficult for me to write about it, I feel cold, I relive these days in my memory, but I need to pour out my pain, to tell my story for 951 days of full-scale war.

A life shattered by war is not easy. And for me, the loss of my closest person was an additional pain, but I knew I could cope... because I am strong.

The return of my mother's body to my native Donetsk region, to the village of Sukhi Yaly, while I remained in the west of the country, creates a special gap full of conflicting feelings. I said goodbye to my mother here in Perechyn, and my brother Denys went to the homeland to bury my mother.

Having buried the mother in her native land, the family felt a certain relief. It was an act of respect for their closest person.

In western Ukraine, life went on as usual. I stayed with my brother Sasha, because he became my guardian after my mother's death, and I was 15 at the time. We tried to build a new life.

However, the pain of loss did not go away. Memories of my mother and the happy moments we spent together permeated every day.

Suddenly, spring flew by, followed by summer, I received a certificate of basic secondary education and I had to choose an institution to continue my studies. I didn't think about it for a long time, because I knew what I wanted to be.

On the first of September 2023, I entered the Perechyn Vocational Lyceum Municipal Institution of the Transcarpathian Regional Council and chose the profession of carpenter.

Many people offered their help. I am grateful to my teachers and classmates for their support. They helped me believe in myself and move forward. I know that there are still many difficulties ahead, but I am ready to overcome them. I don't have many friends here in Perechyn.

But I talk on the phone with my friends 1,000 kilometres away who have never left their home village, even though rockets fly there almost every day.

Later I found out that our parental home was gone. I was horrified when I saw my ruined house in the photos on the KURAKHOVO-SELYDOVE-POKROVSK Telegram channel. This house is a memory of the best years of my childhood. War destroys everything in its way. It does not spare anyone or anything.

Every day the pain of loss becomes less acute, and the memories of your loved ones become warmer. Time does not heal... you just get used to the pain.

Despite all the difficulties, I hope for a better future. I believe that someday I will be able to return home, build a house and create a good family. In the meantime, we are building a new life in the west of the country, remembering our loved ones and carrying their memory in our hearts.

My story is the story of millions of Ukrainians who suffered from the war. It is a story about the power of the spirit, about the ability of a person to overcome difficulties and continue to live, no matter what.