Anna Fales is expecting a baby. She left Kyiv as fighting approached her home and the hospital she was visiting previously for prenatal care became a military hospital. Her husband joined the Ukrainian Armed Forces to defend the country.
I woke up on 24 February at five o’clock in the morning and it seemed to me that one of the neighbours was screaming very loudly. I unplugged the phone from the charger and read about the explosions across the country.
I looked out the window and saw many people with their belongings, taking their cars and driving off. Then I woke up my husband and said, ‘Vanya, it seems that the war has begun.’
We decided to remain calm, listened to information from official sources, and it was reported that the Russians were shelling military facilities. At that time, there were no attacks on residential buildings and civilians. Therefore, we decided not to panic, because everything was under the control of our state, under the control of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
We went to the hospital. I was supposed to have a scheduled check-up that day because we are expecting a baby. As we walked, we started feeling nervous because we saw many people queuing at ATMs and supermarkets. There was no one in the hospital, including the doctor we came to. We were told that there was now a military hospital there and that they would not be able to examine me.
We spent some time in the shelter under our house, and, softly speaking, that did not make our life quieter. When active fighting broke out in Hostomel and the attack on Irpin began (our house is some three kilometres from them), we heard some shooting, explosions, the sounds of aircrafts and sirens. It was very scary!
So, we decided to go to our relatives in Western Ukraine.
The most emotional moment for me since the beginning of the war was when we were leaving Kyiv, I guess. We left the house, started packing things in the car, and our concierge said, ‘Where are you going? Don’t you hear that the sirens are howling?’ Then we hesitated: whether to go or not? Maybe it was safer to stay? In fact, there is no right answer to this question. Everyone chooses for themselves.
We were leaving the city to the sounds of sirens. We spent hours [staying] in large traffic jams, in constant stress. Feeling like you have inhaled, but you cannot exhale.
Now I work remotely, and my husband lost his job because of the war. He turned to the military registration and enlistment office to join the Armed Forces.
Now I feel relatively safe. We do not hear any aircrafts and any explosions here. But we have a gas-fired water heater in the apartment, and sometimes its sounds scare me so much that I even jump up.
I think about the worst-case scenario, but I hope for the best! I dream of coming back home to Kyiv.
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