Holding keys to ruins. Ukrainian families dream of home amid war
Many Ukrainians still hold the keys to their homes, now ruins of war. The Russian independent news outlet Meduza shares stories of families clinging to the hope of one day returning, which seems increasingly distant.
6:29 AM EDT, April 30, 2024
Before the all-out conflict began in 2022, Ukraine was home to 41.2 million people. Since February 24, 2022, one in every three Ukrainians has been displaced. The relentless shelling and military offensives have reduced approximately 250,000 buildings, primarily homes, to rubble; moreover, swathes of territory remain under occupation.
Meduza highlights the plight of several families from Irpin, Chernihiv, and Mariupol. Two years into the conflict, all that remains of their homes are the keys they carried with them as they fled.
One notable story is that of Anna and her husband, who have four children. The war uprooted them from their life in the Chernihiv region.
She still has a set of keys, but she's lost track of the rest. They left a set with their neighbors, though she can't recall if they retrieved them.
Why don't they discard them? "It feels like throwing away eleven years of our lives," she shares.
On March 11, 2022, they fled our home as shells fell. That morning, they had convinced themselves they were safe and could endure. Then, she witnessed her neighbor's garage blown to pieces. That was the moment she knew they had to leave.
Now, they wonder if there's anything to return to. A Russian missile strike severely damaged their home, leaving a crater and destroying much of the structure.
An elderly couple across the street helped her save what remained of her home if it can even be called that. Amid the scarcity, they collected water in barrels and bottles. When a bomb ignited a fire, they managed to douse the flames, preventing them from spreading to their house.
From the Apartment to nothing
In Irpin, Kyiv region, Anastasia, her husband, and their three children faced similar devastation. They had a modest 323-square-foot apartment filled with their dreams and happiness.
Anastasia shares that they had settled in just three years before the war. Her husband had just remodeled the bathroom, and they planned to buy a large wardrobe for the hallway. Sadly, they never had the chance.
As war loomed, Anastasia packed emergency bags and gathered important documents. They stockpiled cereal, oil, and flashlights, never imagining the war would reach Irpin.
She explains that the fighting came too close; their village saw battles, with the 'defenders' positioned in the nearby forest. That's where the Russian response targeted. Her mother's house, aside from a blown-out window, was spared.
Ultimately, the family sought refuge in Poland after their apartment was destroyed on March 22.
