“All night I lay and listened to how somewhere, maybe 30 km away, the war was going on, they were shooting at our people, and I didn’t understand why and for what…”

We spoke with a civic activist from Slovyansk, Donetsk region of Ukraine, Kapitalina, for whom the current phase of the war is Russia’s second attack on Ukraine, and we share her story with you.

“We were more or less prepared for this stage of the war (at least morally), unlike the Russian attack in 2014. We were preparing, but still we could not believe that something like this could happen in modern times.”

In order to get some rest and escape from disturbing thoughts, as well as the pressure of rumours about a possible “big war” and a new Russian attack, Kapitalina and her family decided to go on vacation to the Carpathians.

“Our vacation started on February 22nd, but lasted only one day. On the 24th, at 8 am, a friend called me and said – “Kapa, get up now, the war has begun!!!”.

Waking up, Kapitalina and her husband immediately began calling their relatives to make sure that they are OK, and also to find out from them what was happening.

Immediately after they went to the ATM to get some cash. After standing in a long queue for an hour and a half at -7 degrees Celsius, Kapitalina and her husband were able to withdraw some money and decided to head to a larger city, because in the small village where they stayed, food began to run out – many people were stocking up food.

“Everything around resembled the end of the world, like in a movie.”

Kapitalina and her family booked tickets to Ivano-Frankivsk, where a girl, whom she saw only once in her life, offered to live in her apartment for free.

“She knew that I was from Slovyansk and might need help, it was very nice of her.”

Hundreds of kilometres from Slovyansk, Kapitalina dreamed of returning home, but was worried that the city was too close to Russian-controlled territories, which meant it was dangerous there.

After a month of living in uncertainty, she decided to leave for home, while the city was still relatively calm and there were no Russian troops bringing their shameful “Russian world” with them.

Getting to her hometown was not easy, but after 48 hours and three different trains, Kapitalina was back home. 

In reality, it was no longer exactly the city she left on February 22, Slovyansk met her with a siren, lack of lighting (to hide from Russian shelling and airstrikes), no one on the streets and a curfew. At night, the city shuddered from explosions, which happened far away, but still terrified.

“All night I lay and listened to how somewhere, maybe 30 km away, the war was going on, they were shooting at our people, and I didn’t understand why and for what…”

In the morning, Kapitalina packed some things and headed to the train station to go west, forced to leave her home because of the war that Russian troops had brought to Ukraine.

“After our victory, I really want to return home to my hometown, my place of power, Slovyansk. First of all, I want to see all the relatives I haven’t seen since the start of the invasion. Swim in our salt lakes and take a walk in our cosy and beloved streets in the evening with a cup of coffee from my favourite cafe.”

Kapitalina notes that in the face of a deadly threat from Russia, Ukraine has become even stronger, more united and even more motivated to improve life and well-being of its citizens.

“After 8 years of civic activism, I confess, my enthusiasm and the enthusiasm of other Ukrainians might have begun to fade a little, but after this attack on our land and people, we all are full of energy again!”

The story was prepared with the support of our partner organisation Civil Society Centre “Drukarnia”.