"War has long reach and can get everywhere"

Summer of 2014. It seemed to be quite a normal summer, like all other summers before. But there was something wrong with it. There was tension in the air for month. I was a premonition of war. Military operations are actively unfolding several kilometers away, and we expect that they will reach us, but we hope that they will still avoid us.

We have a fairly vague idea of the war, as far as we can get it from books and movies. But we didn't really know how until we faced a real war.

We heard the distant sounds of gunshots and explosions for quite a long time, as well as felt the earth tremble. However, we still had hope that the situation would change. We hope and pray that this will end soon. I wish we would live our peaceful life again. We sincerely believe that if the Lord does not save us from war, he will save us during the war.

"We lived as a friendly family untill those terrible days came"

We used to live a happy full-fledged life of a friendly large family.  Like all fathers, I used to work to provide for my family. Wife was completely immersed in the upbringing of our six boys. Thanks to her efforts and God's grace, the house was always clean and neat. She always cooked  delicious dinners, and the children were always fed and cleanly dressed. The wife's favourite occupation is cooking. She is an excellent cook.

We also held a small household. We have always done firewood harvesting, planting and weeding of gardens together. Even the younger guys followed the older ones in their work.

"We tried to put the best in our children"

Football and technology were the boys' favourite activities. Our whole family used to go out into nature very often. Picking mushrooms, playing ball, and just running were the boys ' favourite activities.

Children repaired their bicycles, and when they grew up, they built cars and mopeds. By the beginning of the war, they could make major repairs to many serious cars. As a father, I helped them, prompted them, and taught them. I often had to provide serious financial aid But it was worth it

As parents, we raised our children in love, taught them to love God, respect people, and work hard. We tried to invest the best in our children so that they would grow up to be decent people.

"War has long reach and blind eyes"

We lived quite an ordinary life, probably like thousands of families. We were an ordinary father and mother who love their  children. We had ordinary hobbies and interests, like all boys. We lived in an ordinary house. We lived ordinary lives.

However, everything changed at some point.

The war broke into the ordinary life of our family. It has long reach and can get everywhere. It has blind eyes that don't see people's grief. It is deaf because it is deafened by round-the-clock volleys. It is ugly and indecorous.

The war announced its arrival to us with a wild whistle of shells, mines, and deafening explosions a few houses away.

Cows were the first victims.

At this time, some of us were on the street, others were at home.

Whistling in the air and explosions made everyone rush into the basement. There were cows in the pasture that day, and they were the first casualties of the war. Little is said about this, but animals also suffer from war.

My eldest son Denis and I went to the pasture to herd our cow. Many cows were wounded, and many cows died that day.

The shelling was resumed at this point. Denis and I took shelter in a ravine. Our cow Lisa was wounded, too. It became timid. Subsequently, we had to slaughter it.

Animals suffer no less than people, because they understand everything. Our cat and dog did not find a common language, but during the attacks they hid in the summer kitchen and lay peacefully side by side. Fortunately, this is all we lost.

"We had a daughter born during the war"

Every second we put our trust in God's mercy, and He keeps us safe. We live in our own house. One can get used to everything So we are used to this kind of life. But I really want to get used to the peaceful silence.

Our daughter Maryna was born during the war. This was the most violent military action. The birth was very difficult. Luckily, Marynka is already two years old.

Children grew up during the war. The war certainly took a lot from them, but they learned to appreciate and love each other.

We trust in God with all our heart. We try to live a full life. Needless to say, there are  trenches in the places where we collected mushrooms, play football, and rest. But we believe that the time will come and we will play there again.

"We really appreciate what ordinary people did to help"

We are sincerely grateful to those who helped our family, especially during this difficult time.

We would like to express our special gratitude to Rinat Leonidovich personally for his attention and care to the victims of the war in one way or another. We really appreciate what he and his colleagues did to help us, ordinary people. It is very important.

After all, then we understand that we are remembered and taken care of. Few, very few people can be supportive towards strangers. Rinat Akhmetov's Humanitarian Center has been helping us, ordinary people, throughout this terrible time. May God bless you for your great work. As a family, we wish you inspiration and strength in the future.