Marina Kolisnik, a childcare provider from Everett, WA is worried about the war in Ukraine, especially because almost her entire family is in Kharkiv, the scariest place to be right now. The city is under intense bombardment.
„I have three sisters and two brothers in Kharkiv. My parents already passed away but we are a family of twelve. Five families are in the US but seven families are in Ukraine, of which five families are in Kharkiv. At first, when the war started, it was tolerable in the city, though they could hear shootings. But then it got worse. We were lucky because today my brother was able to get out of the city, our last sister, and they are in route to West Ukraine to get away from the bombings. She said it was so scary as if the ground was braking under their feet. When a 16-story building collapsed near my sister’s apartment, she took the kids in one pair of clothes and one pair of shoes, and they ran. They didn’t even know where to go, so they just kept driving for 50 km away from Kharkiv until they felt safe to stop.
But the ride was very slow because there was a lot of block posts, almost every kilometer. The Ukrainian Army soldiers were very polite, but they were searching through their car every time they’d stop. Finally, they arrived in Propenitsk, where they stopped at a church for the night, and kept driving the next day. They were planning to go to Rovno or Lutsk, where they thought it would be safe.
We have a relative on their way in Hmelnitsky region. His name is uncle Vasya Denchiuk (you can give out his name). They were planning to stop at his house, but he refused to take them in. How could you refuse shelter to your own niece? They were not even going to stay for long. She thought to visit him just in case because she might never see him again but he told them: “Don’t even come here because I’m afraid they’ll come after you, and they’ll arrest you, and they’ll kill us all.” She cried when she heard that. It was devastating. Now they are driving further, hoping someone else will take them in. Maybe they’ll go to another church for safety.
Just so you know, Moldova has 64 refugee centers at the border with Ukraine for the Ukrainian refugees. Your relatives can evacuate through Moldova too, if they need to.
Marina Kolisnik: Thank you for the information. Today, we have two more sisters that will be leaving from Kharkiv region to the West border on their own. One of my sisters said that it was very scary the day before. She was crying and praying all night. It felt like the ground was moving, especially when airplanes were flying over and every time they’ll drop a bomb, it felt like she was being sucked in. In the morning, both of them will try to get on a train, if they can, and go in whatever direction, away from the bombing. Kharkiv right now is a bloody mess. Who couldn’t get out of the city until now has a very hard time there. A friend of ours lost her husband. He got out of his cellar to get some water for everybody and they shot him. A civilian, no threat to anyone is now dead for no reason.
Where will the rest of your family go?
Marina Kolisnik: One of my brothers Andrey is staying behind. He went back to Kharkiv after he dropped off all our sisters to our other brother. I begged him not to go back but he said: “I have to go. I can’t just abandon my fellows.” He said he got involved with the Defense Forces by accident but it was meant to be. Andrey figured that a war started when the first attack began on the 24th of February, and the first Russian tank blew up practically on his street. He took his family to hide in the cellar where he ran the electric wires for light and hit, and they were all hiding in there for three days, scared, and not really knowing what was going outside. But once the electricity was caught off, it got so cold in the cellar that not even the blankets were helping. They had to get out.
That’s when the reality sunk in, that it was a real war with tanks and bombs. He found a Ukrainian Army platoon about 150 meters from our house and started helping them. They needed a lot of help. The soldiers were also hunkered down in the cellars, hungry and injured. Someone needed to cook for them and take the injured to the hospital, so he decided to enlist as a volunteer. I talked to him for two hours, trying to take him out of it. He told me about a lot of things that were going on, that they made their own barricades to keep themselves safe, but he was determined to stay. He tried to calm me down, and I prayed to God to send a Guardian Angel over him because it’s still a war, a very bloody war.
They just can’t leave their positions because that spot is right at the border with Russia and that’s were the first tank came from. If worst come to pass, they know all the ins and outs of the area, where they could cross and where they could hide. They know these routes since the war started in East Ukraine in 2014. We were thinking that maybe our sisters can cross the border into Russia to escape the bombardment but she said that’s very scary now to even approach the Russian border because they shoot as soon as soon as they see you. Even the Ukrainians can shoot you, thinking you’re a traitor.
It’s scary for my nephews, who are 18–19-year-old. Their mothers are afraid to let them out of their sight. They have no military experience; they most certainly will be killed the same way like the Russian young men who came on their tanks. When everything blew up, not everyone was killed, some Russian soldiers survived, so my brother said they took many of them prisoners. They were young kids, scared shitless, who didn’t even know what was going on, and didn’t even know where they were. They were told they were going to do some military exercises but found themselves in a war. The Ukrainians took the Russian POWs in a safe space, and they were treating them humanly.
They even let them call their mothers, so their mothers could pick up their sons. He said they didn’t wish them harm and would like to let them go home in one piece with God’s help. But if their mothers can’t pick them up, I don’t know what would happen because there are a lot of prisoners there. Our people don’t have enough food for themselves. How are they going to feed the prisoners? What other option is there? Even if they let them go, they might be shot by their own commanders. What a horrible situation. I am convinced those Russian kids-soldiers are not to blame. Their officers lied to them and didn’t tell them where were they going.
What’s your message to the Ukrainians, Russians and Americans?
Marina Kolisnik: For Ukrainians I wish peace, and for the Guardian Angels to protect every human life. I want for this war to end, so people don’t die because nobody needs this war. I don’t understand why did it even start? It’s the same as if somebody came to my house and started making up their rules. Did anybody ask them to come to my house? Why did they assume that my house needed to be cleaned? What would happen if I would go to their homes and tell them that their house is a mess? The Russians say they protect us. From whom? Did anyone ask you to save me? Was I even in trouble? I am talking right now about Ukraine, like it is my house. Ukraine wasn’t in trouble. My country didn’t ask for your help. And now they are bombing civilians?
For Russian mothers, I beg you to take your children home and don’t let them go to this war because those kids have no idea what war means. The Russian officers have their orders, they know where they go. That’s why they became officers. But your kids barely know what life is, they haven’t lived yet. Take them home! I’m sure Russian mothers don’t even know that their kids are in a war zone in Ukraine.
I ask Americans to pray for Ukraine but also help financially and with the humanitarian aid. The American non-profit organizations must step up. I don’t know about the war efforts but I am very concerned about the civilians who are suffering right now. They need food, clothes, roof over their heads. Let’s come together and help us save the refugees. Also, United States needs to allow refugees from Ukraine to come here without obstacles. I can take care of my own family if they allow them a protective status here. But this option is not yet available to us. So, we ask the American government to speed up the process, so we can save our families.
We even started the paperwork for some of our relatives before the war, but it takes so long for the process to go through. We’re are waiting for eight years already. If they could just expedite their applications, that will be very helpful.
Irina VanPatten