Olga Sytnyak, a student at our institute, gr. 211v, tells us the story of her life during the war.
"I remember every minute of that morning. On February 24, I was in Kharkiv. At five o'clock I was awakened by the cries of a neighbor and the explosions outside the window. The Internet turned off, the lights began to flash. Having a terrible experience of life in the so-called. DNR, I understood what exactly needed to be done. First I calmed down my friend, then we packed up and went to the ATM, where we were already waiting in line to turn around the house. There was no hint of any emotion on my face… only my hands kept shaking from something… My facial muscles didn't even twitch from the near explosion or the black column of smoke after it.
Then the subway: I went to my father's friends on the other side of town, because it was almost impossible to get to the train station. Only at the station of these subway trains did I get horrified by what was happening… Crowds of people on the covers… Grandpa lulls the baby… Children ask their parents why they are here… Endless tears flowed to replace the trembling of his hands.
The night was not quiet either. In the morning, a friend of my father took me to the station, where I waited for about five hours for my train. Periodically, feeling the movement of the earth under their feet, people ran from the platforms to the transitions. Vehicles were either delayed or did not arrive at all. No one could give any guarantees of departure. I boarded the train to Kostiantynivka, from where my father and I went to Bakhmut. As it turned out, I managed to leave the city a couple of hours before the audacious bombing of residential areas. A young soldier in his thirties was riding with me in the compartment. He was talking on the phone with his little daughter. The man apologized for not being able to say goodbye before leaving. With tears in his eyes, he promised to teach her to ride a bike when she returns… I really hope he comes back…
It took me a week in Bakhmut to come to at least some kind of norm. Every morning I had to tell myself that it was reality, not a nightmare… However, for a long time nightmares also tormented me… The news feed seemed endless, like calls to friends.
He did not arrive in the city for several more weeks. It even seemed to me that some routine had returned to my life. But one evening he fell on a military base. After a couple of days of calm, the boy and I went to his house: eleven o'clock in the morning, birds singing, mothers with children… Three shells that flew almost in front of us did not fit into this spring picture… We ran to the basement, my legs no longer held me… And the people around were just walking! They didn't seem to understand what was happening…
On March 29, I crossed the border into Slovakia, where a friend was already waiting for me. Over forty hours on the road, followed by two more days of assembling yourself to pieces.
I was and still am moved by the support of European citizens. I have never seen so many yellow and blue flags on the streets, even in Ukraine itself. Material and medical care, caring people - all this, no doubt, helped not to lose yourself in this chaos. However, the mental state can be called shaky. Although I am safe, my whole family is now in Ukraine: everyone has had to leave their homes and adapt to new conditions in other cities. I try not to ignore the educational process, but sometimes I do not have the strength to study. Homework, term paper and the session will not take place on their own, but I admit: this is not my opinion at all. "
