Surviving the bombing with three children: the story of an immigrant from Ukraine, who ended up in her homeland at the height of the war

Find yourself in your native, and at the same time already a foreign country, alone, with three small children in your arms, survive the bombing and shelling, get out of war-torn Ukraine through half of Europe for days, and finally return to the United States. This is not the plot of another blockbuster, but the real story of Brooklyn resident Tatiana Vargo. A native of Kharkov, Tatyana has dreamed for many years of showing her American children their "historical homeland" where they have never been. Finally her dream came true. In January, for the first time in 12 years, Tanya and her children went to Ukraine, not imagining what lies ahead for them ...

The outbreak of war

«I wanted to hug my brother, whom we had not seen for a very long time. I lost my parents when I was 12, and I have no close relatives, except for my brother. In addition, I have long wanted to visit the graves of my relatives, and just visit my native land. Circumstances were such that I finally had this opportunity.", - says Tatyana.

The woman recalls that she could not believe the rumors about the coming war, especially in Kyiv or Kharkov. At that time, many assumed that Russia would go on the offensive in the Donbass, but they could not imagine a full-scale war. Tanya's youngest daughter was only a year and 5 months old, the middle daughter was 4 years old, and the eldest child was 9 years old. The woman recalls: the night before the invasion was especially beautiful.

«In Kharkov there is a shopping center "Nikolsky", where we went with the kids. On the way back from there, we did not even take a taxi, and decided to take a walk under the Ukrainian sky. We passed over a bridge under which ducks swam, and next to it was a park and a promenade. Kharkiv was especially beautiful that night, and the children admired the city so much that they said they did not want to return to America.", - says Tatyana.

In the morning, when Tanya was informed that the war had begun, she could not immediately believe what she heard. Finally, she saw people running around in panic outside the window. Worried, Tatyana withdrew money from an ATM and bought some groceries. Explosions were heard in the distance, and only at about eight in the evening something began, according to Tatyana, similar to an earthquake. Looking out the window, the woman saw tanks. There was no longer any doubt about the seriousness of what was happening.

«It was simply impossible to leave the city in the early days. There were traffic jams on the roads, shelling of car columns immediately began, and there was a terrible crush at the station, and people could not get into trains for days. I had no idea what I could do there with three children. My brother was at that time near Kiev and, as it turned out later, was in Bucha. His friend told me that his brother was injured in the explosion, hit his head, and he took him to the hospital. Since then, that is, since the end of February, I have lost contact with my brother, and still do not know how to find him.", - says Tatyana.

Finding herself alone in a rented apartment without the opportunity to leave, the woman decided to stay in the city, while trying to find a driver who would help the family evacuate the city.

shelling

Long "military everyday life" began in Kharkov. Sometimes Tatyana was helped by volunteers who delivered food to their homes. Shelling was constantly heard, tanks passed under the windows.

«Sometimes some Russian agents marked objects right in front of our house. Other people erased these marks later if they had time to notice them. There was a police station not far from us, perhaps they were particularly interested in it.", - says Tanya.

Tatyana tried to cook food only during the day - turning on the light in the evening was life-threatening, because it immediately turned the house into a noticeable target. Children at this time mostly sat in the bathroom.

«I always asked them not to run into different rooms, because otherwise I would not be able to protect them. We've always been there”, she explains.

The house where Tanya lived with her children was shelled on the evening of March 6. Tatyana bathed the children and slowly began to collect things, preparing to leave the city the next day. The explosion occurred when the woman had not yet had time to dress the children after bathing.

«There was almost no shelling that day, and for the first time in a long time I relaxed. In the afternoon we went outside, I bought milk for the children. The explosion happened while I was dressing the baby. My ears rang, my body immediately became cottony, I could not move. The eldest son shouted: "Mom, ears" - he was temporarily deaf from the explosion. Rama was blown away by the blast. The middle daughter sat on the bed in a state of shock. And then the shots started right outside the house. As it turned out later, the shell fell right across the road, and the main power of the shock wave fell on the room where we were.", Tatyana recalls.

The house shook from the explosion, glass was scattered throughout the apartment. It was only in America that Tanya noticed that a shard of glass had gone deep into her leg and had already begun to rot, but then she did not feel anything. Grabbing the half-dressed children, the woman hid in the bathroom. Meanwhile, in the apartment, the windows of which were completely broken, it began to get colder rapidly, and the children began to freeze.

«I started looking for things and dressing the children. The youngest daughter clung to me and did not let go for a second. With her in my arms, I crawled in the dark and looked for clothes. My son complained of pain in his ears, but I could not turn on the light and see what was wrong with his ears. Thank God the bathroom floor was heated. We sat there at night. I heard the neighbor behind the wall breathing heavily, as if something had hit him. Then he calmed down, and I didn’t hear a sound from his apartment anymore.", - says Tatyana.

Way home

The woman frantically began to look for a driver, but the person with whom she had agreed before did not dare to take her family to the shelled city. In the morning, Tatyana took the children to the bomb shelter, but, according to her, the atmosphere there was so oppressive that she was afraid to leave them there for a long time. That night, in addition to looking for a driver, Tatiana prayed frantically. Finally, she managed to contact volunteers who helped the family find a place in an organized convoy for the removal of refugees.

«When we were leaving, shots were heard right behind our house. We were incredibly lucky - the convoy in which we were traveling was not fired upon. Apparently, God really saved", - shares Tatiana.

Then followed an incredibly long road: 25 hours by train, crossing the Hungarian border, from which I had to walk for several hours at night, and several other countries.

«We drove half of Europe without sleep and normal food. For the first time I was able to relax only in Turkey"She recalls.

In the end, Tatyana and the children got home. According to her, the children are now coming to their senses and are already enjoying their first walks around New York, but the eldest son is still afraid when his mother comes to the window - he remembers too well that it is dangerous. According to Tanya, the children will still need a psychologist so that the trauma of the war does not leave a mark on their psyche. She herself, too, cannot remember the experience without tears.