Direct speech:
“My name is Iryna Tkachenko, until February 24 I was carefree, cheerful and had many plans for the future… I had a beautiful and spacious house in which I lived with my family: mother, father, husband and son. I had a favorite job at the Lyceum No. 1 where she taught history, and her husband had his business selling granite, which he had been building for years. In general, we were just a family, like millions of people in Ukraine – we loved…we dreamed…we built…
But in one moment our world was turned upside down and everything we loved was destroyed… I thank God every day, just for saving us all health and life. On February 24, like every Ukrainian, I did not wake up with the usual words: “Good morning, my love”, these were other scary and incomprehensible words: “Get up, the war has begun…” The explosions from the airport could be heard near our house, but hope, that everything will pass quickly, that this is the 21st century, did not allow me to believe in the terrible reality… My house was built according to the old model and has a powerful basement made of concrete, that is, like a bunker, so there was no place to hide in doubt. My family, as well as all willing neighbors, settled in our basement. The radio was working there, where they clearly said: “Stay at home, civilian infrastructure will not be touched.” And we believed, we believed, that on Monday we would go to work and school, but… The basement was a shelter for us from explosions to explosions, so we lasted a day, such a long day, which I have never had in my life, it seemed that it was not 24 hours, but a whole year…
On the morning of February 25, we went up to the house and wanted to eat. I ordered my son to sit on the sofa and wait for me to prepare something, no one took off his outerwear and shoes. And then there was a powerful explosion, the bridge over the Irpin River was blown up, and our house is very close to the bridge. The explosion blew out all the windows and the glass flew on my son and on me, because I was standing near the window, protected my outer clothes that were cut by the glass… The shock of the explosion and reality turned off my brain for a moment… and then I felt them taking me by the collar, it was my husband who tried to put my son and me on the floor, he shouted something to me, but I can’t remember… it seems that I didn’t even hear anything, there was a ringing in my head… The light disappeared… We jumped back to the basement… We sat there some more several hours… My son was in shock, he cried and begged to leave here, he didn’t respond to anything else. My husband and I started calling acquaintances, asking where they were, where they were going, who had relatives who could provide shelter. And they wanted to leave… The parents categorically refused, they said that they would not leave the house they had been building for 15 years… there was no time for persuasion, the guys they knew from the Armed Forces said that they were setting up Grad-type installations all over the occupied part of Gostomel…
Having taken nothing, except savings, documents and a pair of change of underwear, because we were traveling with the confidence that we were only for 3 days, who knew that we would be for 3 months, we set off for the Cherkasy region. One acquaintance arranged with a neighbor to shelter us. The old lady was alone with a bunch of cats who had a toilet in the room where we were put to sleep, so the smell of ammonia and the unbearable stench ate our eyes all night, it was very cold and we slept in our clothes, but it was definitely better than at home with explosions and animal fear inside, it was quiet here… The next day, my husband arranged for us to be received by a family at the other end of the village. These are incredible people – Sashko and Tanya, having a small house, three children and living very modestly, they agreed to accept people whom they had never seen before. I will never forget how I went to the bathroom, dirty and tired, for the first time in 3 days, and Tanya gave me a brand new towel and skirt still with tags, which she obviously bought for herself, but just gave it away… tears came to my eyes… They lived we have been at Sasha’s and Tanya’s for a whole month and a half and have become very close. But later they found a house in the same village, although old, but cozy, where they moved. My parents stayed under shelling for another 10 days and also went to my mother’s relatives near Kagarlyk.
At the end of March, we received a video from our street, there were no doubts… we are now homeless… I really wanted to see everything with my own eyes, there was a glimmer of hope that maybe at least something was left… at least something. We managed to get to Gostomel on April 13… and so… we were left with nothing… After seeing the damage that the damn war brought to my family, I was in despair… my husband’s business was destroyed, only the newly bought bracelet was completely burned, my car was turned into a colander, and the house with all important and dear things is completely destroyed. But what I will definitely always remember is that my house is a hero’s house! Who protected our soldiers to the last during the defense of Kyiv. Unfortunately, children’s laughter will never be heard in its walls, I will never admire my favorite dresses in front of the mirror, I will never see my children’s photos, I will not open a wedding album, I will not feel the smell of my pillow, I will not admire my collection
