In the early days of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, life for Kateryna and Maryna, two young sisters from the Kherson region, turned upside down.
As Russian forces reached their hometown, their family was torn apart by violence and cruelty. Their uncle, a local resistance member, was tortured.
Their aunt was dragged into an interrogation room for simply speaking out against the invaders.
It was just the beginning of a nightmare that would claim the lives of their parents and force the sisters to face unimaginable challenges.
Tragedy Strikes: The Loss of Their Parents
On June 16, 2023, just days after their father Oleh’s 33rd birthday, a Russian artillery strike shattered the family. The blast killed their father instantly.
Their mother, Oleksandra, bled to death waiting for medical help, as Russian medics focused more on covering up the war crimes than offering any real care.
At just seven and ten years old, the sisters were left to grieve and survive under constant threat in a war zone.
Their only remaining guardian, their 59-year-old grandmother Oksana, took on the enormous responsibility of caring for the girls.
But life was far from easy. They lived in constant fear, not only from the daily shelling and drone strikes but also from Russia’s broader agenda: stealing thousands of Ukrainian children from their families.
The Struggle to Survive Under Russian Occupation
In occupied territories, children are often placed in state-run orphanages or adopted by Russian families once the guardian is over 60.
This policy, designed to erase Ukrainian identity, was a looming threat for Oksana and her granddaughters.
It took Oksana 18 months of grueling paperwork to become their legal guardian—a process made even more difficult by the Russian forces that had already issued Russian birth certificates for the girls.
But Oksana’s determination never wavered. Once she had the necessary documents, she embarked on a perilous journey to reach a Ukrainian-controlled area.
After a long and dangerous trip that spanned over 1,600 miles, Oksana and her granddaughters finally crossed into Ukraine at Domanove, a border town near Belarus.
Life in Occupied Ukraine: Daily Horror and Resilience
What they endured along the way was nothing short of harrowing.
Oksana described the horrific execution of her neighbors and the brutal tactics used by Russian forces to instill fear and control.
“There were executions right from the first day,” Oksana recalled. “One woman’s parents hid in their basement.
They found them, and then they were shot—both father and mother, shot in the head.”
As Oksana and the girls lived through this nightmare, she had to balance the trauma of losing her own family with the responsibility of shielding her granddaughters from the violence around them.
It wasn’t just the constant shelling that threatened their lives; it was also the Russian soldiers’ relentless efforts to abduct children and erase Ukrainian heritage.
A Dangerous Escape: The Long Road to Freedom
Despite the overwhelming odds, Oksana’s strength pushed her forward.
After securing the girls’ legal guardianship, she made a dangerous trek from the war-torn region of Kherson, through Russian-controlled Mariupol, and into Russia.
From there, they traveled to Belarus, where Oksana faced even more bureaucratic challenges before finally crossing into Ukraine.
Once in Domanove, Oksana experienced a small moment of relief, kissing the ground after her exhausting journey. However, their ordeal wasn’t over.
They now faced the trauma of resettling in a cramped apartment in Bila Tserkva, Ukraine, where they live with relatives who had also fled the occupied territories.
The Cruelty of War: Witnessing Destruction and Loss
Oksana’s heartbreaking story is just one of many. People fleeing occupied Ukraine often carry nothing but a single suitcase, their lives reduced to a handful of possessions.
Many, like Tamara, a 77-year-old retired teacher, had to leave everything behind after losing their homes to Russian shelling.
Tamara, who made the grueling 1,700-mile journey with her Maltese dog, Mickey, spoke out about the brutality of Putin’s regime, calling him a “b*****d” for tearing apart the lives of innocent people.
For Oksana and her granddaughters, the journey to freedom was fraught with danger, loss, and sorrow.
Yet their story is also a testament to the strength of the human spirit.
Despite everything they have lost, they continue to fight for their right to live in peace, far from the horrors of Russian occupation.
A Final Word on the Human Cost of Russia’s War
While some may try to minimize the suffering of Ukrainians under Russian rule, the reality is far from what they claim.
The stories from the Domanove border crossing are just a snapshot of the countless lives destroyed by Russia’s war machine.
From forced adoption of children to the destruction of entire communities, the impact of Russia’s invasion will be felt for generations to come.
As Oksana and her granddaughters seek a semblance of normalcy in their new life, the world must not forget the true cost of war—and the resilience of those fighting to survive it.
