I gave birth under shell fire with exploding windows – but Sun readers saved us with our donation, says Ukrainian mum
BORN as missiles rained down on a conflict zone maternity hospital, three-month-old Bogdan Lazarska now gurgles contentedly.
Gripping mum Anya’s finger tightly with his little hand, it is a picture of harmony seemingly a world away from the horrors ravaging his Ukrainian homeland.
Yet eight short weeks ago the pair joined the terrified and teeming mass of refugees who have fled to western Ukraine as their home town was engulfed by fighting.
Today they have found hope and solace in Lviv’s Unbroken Mothers refuge, set up by the Ukrainian Red Cross with help from cash donated by YOU, our generous Sun readers.
Mum-of-six Anya, 30, from Dobropillia, in the Donetsk region, told me: “Bogdan was born under shellfire. When I was in the hospital with him there was a huge explosion nearby which blew out all the glass in the windows. I was terrified my baby would be hurt.”
Splintered family
Then in July, police came to Anya’s home to tell her to evacuate west for her own safety.
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Cradling little Bogdan, and accompanied by eldest daughter Sofiya, 12, she fled first by bus, then train, to rail hub Lviv, in Ukraine’s far west.
With her husband Gimgin, 33, a delivery driver in peace time, now fighting with Ukrainian forces at the front line, her remaining children remained in Dobropillia with their grandmother.
At the Unbroken Mothers refuge, a 20-minute drive from the centre of Lviv, Anya and her splintered family found relative tranquillity in a city that has escaped the worst of the fighting.
This week, however, a deadly wave of long-range missiles hit historic Lviv, disrupting power and water in some parts of this elegant city.
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Electricity was cut off at the refuge for a couple of hours before being reinstated.
The mothers and children were said to be coping well in the circumstances.
The cosy centre — with plush kitchens, shower blocks, laundry rooms and comfy sleeping quarters — offers counselling to youngsters growing up amid one of Europe’s bloodiest conflicts since the Second World War.
Sitting on a sofa festooned with cuddly toys, Anya added: “It’s a lovely place to live. The mums talk together and the children play together.”
Like many at the refuge, the mum was forced to leave beloved family members, her cherished home and possessions in Donetsk.
Paying tribute to Sun readers who donated to the British Red Cross Ukraine Charity Appeal, Anya said: “Thank you so much to all who gave money.
“It’s given me a safe place to stay with my baby. Now I want to bring all my children to Lviv so we are all together again.”
Currently home to 12 mothers and 21 children, the welcoming centre is nestled in manicured gardens on the outskirts of Lviv, 44miles east of the Polish border.
The two-storey buildings were completed in just three months, with local authorities finding the land and overseeing construction.
Nurses are permanently on hand to care for the traumatised children and offer the mums advice as they prepare for childbirth.
In her neat bedroom, Olha Kravchenko, 32, pats her tummy and says she’s already named her unborn baby Igor.
The mum-of-two, who shares double bunk beds with 12-year-old daughter Alla and ten-year-old Volodymyr, said: “I’m expecting Igor this month.
I’m expecting Igor this month. This is a wonderful place. The men of Ukraine are defending our land and our lives. The women are staying strong and calm. It’s very appropriate that this refuge is called Unbroken Mothers.
Olha Kravchenko
"This is a wonderful place. The men of Ukraine are defending our land and our lives. The women are staying strong and calm. It’s very appropriate that this refuge is called Unbroken Mothers.”
Olha, from Rogan village in the Kharkiv district in north east Ukraine, says she fled with her children after a neighbour’s house was turned to matchwood in a missile strike.
An emotional Olha added: “Our neighbours, a mother and her daughter, were killed in the bombing. Shells were landing everywhere. We hid in a basement, it was so scary.”
Today pens and school books lie on their dinner table and two teddy bears are positioned on a wash basket next to their bunk beds.
It’s a picture of ordinary domestic life a world away from bomb-scarred Rogan.
Manager at Unbreakable Mothers Liliya Kilchytska, 34, told me: “We have psychologists and social workers who talk with the children to help them cope with their experiences.
“Many of these youngsters lived in bomb shelters for a long time without water, electricity, gas and communications.
“Everyone has a different story to tell but the women are so supportive of one another.”
Pregnant Tanya Kondakova, 38, tells of living under bombardment in home city Bakhmut in the Donetsk region.
Having breakfast with children Anya, 15, and Anton, nine, the mum revealed: “Our house was literally shaking with bombs landing all around. My children were panicking and crying.”
Fleeing in April, Tanya added: “The children are very happy here and are able to study online with their former classmates who have gone to Britain, Germany and Belgium.”
“Thank you to Sun readers who have love in their hearts and donated to the Red Cross.”
Children’s laughter echoes through the wood-lined corridors as youngsters play games with donated toys.
Mum-of-four Olha Schevechenko, 32, from Lysychansk in Luhansk region with two-month-old Daruna.
Olha was caught up in the fighting as tens of thousands fled her city.
Kids smile again
The mum said: “Civilians were being hit by rockets and tank shells. The whole city was under bombardment.
“We had to shelter in our basement for two weeks. The children were so terrified they wet themselves.
“Now they go to school close to the refuge and have smiles on their faces once more.”
In the communal kitchen area of the refuge nurse Vira Nazarevych, 28, cuddles four-month-old baby Daniil.
The medic revealed: “When the children first arrive here they are usually in a bad psychological condition.
“It’s such a shock for them to be shot at or forced to live in a bomb shelter basement for weeks or months. They find it hard to understand this conflict.”
But nurse Vira says professional help and the community spirit in the refuge works wonders, adding: “All the families help each other out.
“And we provide counselling to help the children forget about the awful things they have witnessed. You can see them improving every day.”
After reporting on the millions of weary and bedraggled refugees fleeing through rail terminus Lviv last March, we launched The Sun’s Ukraine Fund, with all proceeds going to the Red Cross’s vital humanitarian work.
When the children first arrive here they are usually in a bad psychological condition. It’s such a shock for them to be shot at or forced to live in a bomb shelter basement for weeks or months. They find it hard to understand this conflict.
Vira Nazarevych
Almost 15million people have fled the fighting in Ukraine - just under half that number remain dispersed in the country with the rest escaping abroad as refugees.
The Red Cross has helped more than five million people with emergency aid, including distributing £56million in financial help.
Mike Adamson, chief executive of the British Red Cross, said: “People have suffered unimaginable hardship. Red Cross teams have been on the ground in Ukraine, working around the clock, from the outset.
“Generous donations from Sun readers have helped them to provide life-saving aid such as food, clean water, shelter and medical aid.”
“The Red Cross has also distributed £2million in financial support helping around 13,000 refugees from Ukraine who have fled to the UK.
Mr Adamson, who described the Unbroken Mothers project as “incredible”, added: “Sadly, this crisis is expected to last for months and years to come.
“The Red Cross will be there for people, for as long as we’re needed.”
Life-saving help for those in crisis
PICTURES of women and children fleeting the horror of Ukraine’s devastated towns and cities moved Sun readers to tears in February.
You donated in your droves to support Red Cross work in Ukraine to provide shelter, food and water to those trapped.
Your cash also helped the International Red Cross restore water supplies and support medical facilities. It also helped Red Cross workers aid those fleeing across the borders to neighbouring countries.
Readers donations to our fund were also boosted by cash from firms like Camelot who gave £1million and Barrett Developments who gave £50,000.
Mike Adamson, Chief Executive of Red Cross said: “We thank Sun readers for your kind support.
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"Anything you can gives makes a difference and will help us to provide life-saving assistance and essentials, like food, water and healthcare, to the people caught up in this crisis.”
If you would still like to donate, .
More info
The Ukraine Crisis Appeal will support people in areas currently affected and those potentially affected in the future by the crisis.
In the unlikely event that the British Red Cross raise more money than can be reasonably and efficiently spent, any surplus funds will be used to help them prepare for and respond to other humanitarian disasters anywhere in the world.
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