Oleksandra Skakun | Kherson

"Under the occupation, you feel like you’re under a dome, like a bird locked in a cage"

Name: "Under the occupation, you feel like you’re under a dome, like a bird locked in a cage"
Uploaded: 2025-01-29 14:20:20EET
Duration: 2 min 59 s
Description: Before the full-scale invasion began, Oleksandra Skakun worked in a kindergarten in Kherson. She woke up on February 24, 2022, to a call from her sister, who told her that war had broken out: “Sasha, are you sleeping? The war has started.” That day, she was called to the kindergarten, but due to the first air raid alert, everyone ran home.

Before the full-scale invasion began, Oleksandra Skakun worked in a kindergarten in Kherson. She woke up on February 24, 2022, to a call from her sister, who told her that war had broken out: “Sasha, are you sleeping? The war has started.” That day, she was called to the kindergarten, but due to the first air raid alert, everyone ran home.

After the outbreak of hostilities, Oleksandra tried to get to her hometown of Oleshky, but the russian military did not allow people to pass through the checkpoint. Later, she managed to get home on foot, although the road was dangerous.

She lived under occupation for three months, suffering from fear. To avoid danger, Oleksandra tried to remain invisible, even wearing a headscarf like a paranja. Her parents decided to send their daughter to Zaporizhzhia with volunteers when stories of violence by the occupiers began to emerge.