The story of a Ukrainian woman going to the Bakhmut region

I thought a lot about whether to write this article or not and if to write how and what?!?! So that other people, not Ukrainians, could understand it correctly and hear the depth of the story. Maybe for some of you, this story will be painful, unbearable, and extremely sensitive, but sometimes humanity needs to receive a very cold arctic shower to awaken. This is a story of a Ukrainian woman going to the Bakhmut region to help her husband and other Ukrainian soldiers....

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UNSTOPPABLE AND UNBREAKABLE. THESE ARE CHARACTERISTICS OF UKRAINIAN WOMEN.

She was driving to the Bakhmut region to deliver aid to her husband's battalion. Did you hear about Bakhmut?!?!? Before russian invasion, it was a pretty nice city and now it is a real hell on Planet Earth. So, she was driving to the Bakhmut region but of course not to this city in particular. She collected as much as she could from donations but it was still only 10% of the needed sum for urgent needs of her husband's battalion. Now her "job" is to fundraise to buy all important things for our Warriors of Light at hot points. And they always need something, things that an average Ukrainian woman has never heard before the war: EcoFlows, starlinks, drones, etc.... And of course weapons.... that she definitely can't buy.... All these very important stuff finish very quickly, often they can be used only once because this is war, a real bloody war, and these things could be destroyed in seconds. She does not have enough time to close one fundraiser, as she has to open a new one. And the guys there at the front on a zero or first line, or second line can't wait, because every day and every hour and even every second is worth someone's life. There was neither fear nor panic in her eyes, she knew that she was helping her husband, his battalion, other soldiers, and Ukraine. She could go abroad with her daughter as millions of other Ukrainian women did, but she stayed - this was the choice of her soul in this particular situation to stay in her native land and be the rear for her husband and other soldiers. She did not remember the last time she ate and slept normally, she had lost all feelings, only the desire to help remained. She was held by some unknown inner strength that did not allow her to give up and simply fall and stop.

She was driving to the Bakhmut region.... Total darkness, villages destroyed and erased from the Earth, as if they had never been there.... Gray and creepy…. Uninhabited and empty... A real horror movie…. Tears flowed down her cheeks, but she did not even feel them, the sensations were frozen.... Burnt tanks, mutilated cars, pieces of weapons, and military equipment.... Darkness…. Total darkness…. Time has stopped there…. You seem to fall into a completely different reality and you can't immediately understand by your mind that it is more real than any other reality.... The blood freezes in the veins from what she sees and realizes.... She could not imagine that one day she would see such things by her own eyes.... She could not imagine in her most awful and terrified thoughts that the war would become her normal reality and she would adjust to the new normality of the new life….

Last week she returned from Slovjansk. The city was destroyed. She rented an apartment in a multi-story building, partially damaged by russian soldiers.... Unusual and unbelievable feelings that could not be described - the city was alive and at the same time deserted. The sounds of the air alarm were so loud and almost without any interruptions or breaks, not like in Kyiv. All the time she heard bah, babah and every single time these sounds were closer and closer.... And then after an hour she got used to them.... But the most awful, terrifying, and scary moment was when ultimately a 30-minute silence appeared.... She was in anticipation of what would happen next.... Terrifying.... And then again sounds of alarm, rockets, bombs, and earth shuddering....

Her perception of the world and all values changed a lot not only since this war began but particularly since she became a volunteer helping her husband's battalion going to the Bakhmut region and staying during the night in a half-destroyed building in Slovjansk.

She didn't know when it would all end and how, but she knew for sure that she had to help despite the fatigue, stress, and complete imbalance of the body. She had no choice but to do it, because if not her, then who?

This very small story is a story of my sister who still lives in Kyiv. But in reality, this is an everyday story of millions of Ukrainian women: mothers, wives, sisters, daughters....

"Concerning our Warriors of Light, our Defenders. They are tired, extremely tired, all of them. But strong, with unbelievable fortitude. I understand that it is difficult for them to realize that there is another life, perhaps it is even better for them not to think about it because I do not know what strength you need to have every day to motivate yourself there. Without normal conditions of existence, in constant danger, 24/7. Without normal food, clothes, important weapons, and equipment, and without sleep. The dream of every defender besides our Victory is to sleep in a clean and warm bed, just to wash in a shower cabin and drink hot tea or coffee with family. And please, don't tell that they chose this path, to be a military and to defend our country. Most of whom I talked to were mobilized or volunteers, who lived their normal civil life before the war as you." Anna Ovramenko

It doesn’t matter where you are now and who you are, you can still donate and help. Donations can be financial but also non-financial like your time. If not donate to a battalion of my sister’s husband, then to another battalion. If not to an army, so to the humanitarian aid. If not to the humanitarian aid, so to Ukrainians and other refugees all over the world. If not to refugees, so to writing and making your voice visible, this is also a donation, but not financial. If not to writing texts, then making films and videos about Ukraine and war in Ukraine…. If not this for some reason just share this text. If not sharing this text or other texts please read and investigate this war, concerning Ukraine and russia just to understand, see, and realize more.... But PLEASE do at least something! You can find your way to help.

To close eyes and be silent behaving as if nothing happened is not the way of living in a more civilized society powered by freedom and equality. Such behavior again and again will lead to new wars, more awful and more bloody.

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I do understand that the majority of Ukrainians are tired and exhausted. I do understand that people all over the world are fed up with this war. I do understand that the majority of foreigners from all over the world still don’t understand what is going on. I do understand that despite of bloody war in the center of Europe we should somehow continue to live and find new ways. BUT I don’t understand when people don’t care pretending that nothing happens. Ukrainian Warriors of Light defending not only Ukraine but the whole world and FREEDOM. And Ukraine needs your help in any way you could do it.

THANK YOU.

THANK YOU.

THANK YOU.

March 25, 2023.