Right in the Kharkiv city centre, Eastern Ukraine, a shell landed 150 metres from Olha and her grandson Borys who were at the playground. The debris caused lots of injuries but luckily the wounds were not heavy and Olha and Borys recovered.
Sitting on a sunny day in Kharkiv Central Park with its perfectly mown lawns, it might seem that the war is going on somewhere far away. However, the air raid sirens, which are incredibly loud, quickly bring you back to reality. Olha*, 54, her daughter Yaroslava*, 33, and grandson Borys*, 12, are visibly nervous when they hear the sirens, but say they are used to air raid warnings. "The sirens go off often here. We try to be more careful after the incident that happened to us."
Kharkiv is only 30 kilometres from the Russian border, so the approach time of the missiles is very short. Sometimes sirens go off after the explosions. Despite the great risks, the city's residents cannot stay in basements or bomb shelters for weeks, they need to work and go about their daily business. Accordingly, shelling of a city like Kharkiv, which was home to almost 1.5 million people before the Russian Federation military offensive launched in 2022, results in civilian casualties.
"When the rockets hit the Kharkiv Regional State Administration building, we felt it. The walls of our apartment shook," says Olha about the missile attack in March 2022. According to the official statement, that strike killed 29 people.
Olha's family has not left Kharkiv since the military offensive that started on February 24. They had neither a place to go nor an understanding of how to leave together with all their cats and dogs. Staying in the city during the war, they saw Kharkiv empty last spring and people started to return after the Russian army retreated.
"I am happy that young people are coming back because they are our future. I can’t imagine how a city can live without youth," she says.
Olha used to work as a fashion designer, and her daughter Yaroslava graduated from a university as a puppet artist. As Yaroslava was raising her son Borys on her own, it was difficult for her to combine it with her career, so Olha started looking after the boy and quit her job.
Borys plays his new violin. ©DRC Ukraine, Kharkiv, 2023, Arsen Dzodzaev.
It was Olha who accompanied Borys on the playground in the autumn of 2022 when a rocket fell nearby. The residential building between them and the missile was a protection from direct fire.
"It was a nightmare. The windows in the buildings nearby were just shattering or crashing, and there were clouds of dust and debris flying around. Borys and I just went to the building wall and I covered him with my body," says Olha.
They suffered many puncture wounds from shrapnel, but their legs were affected the most. Borys underwent surgery and had shrapnel removed, nonetheless, not all of it was removed to avoid hitting important nerves.
After a long period of treatment, Borys and Olha are now doing well. They continue to live in Kharkiv, not far from the city centre, and take daily walks in a park with perfect lawns.
Borys has been studying at a music school for 5 years and continues to learn to play the violin even during the war. However, time goes by, and the old childhood violin no longer suits him, so the family applied to DRC for a grant to pay for Borys' training and an adult violin. DRC was able to cover these needs thanks to the project funded by the USAID's Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance. The project is aimed at supporting children affected by explosive ordnance.
"When he heard the sound of the new violin, his face lit up. He wanted to improve his violin skills and we are extremely happy that he can develop his hobby," says Olha.
Yaroslava would like Borys to take up music professionally. However, the boy is still too young to choose a profession and the war undoubtedly makes its adjustments to their life.
DRC’s Victim Assistance Programme is possible thanks to funding from the Ukraine Humanitarian Fund and the USAID's Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance. It is supported as well through means donated by private foundations and individuals primarily in Denmark.
*Names were changed for confidentiality purposes.