For the children: Russian gains spark exodus from east Ukraine
Ukraine
, even with Russian forces closing in, but authorities issued an order for children to be taken to safety.
That meant the 30-year-old had little choice but to urgently pack up her home and seven children -- all under the age of 13 -- and leave their lives behind.
"It's already noisy there and very scary for the children. If we didn't have children, we would have stayed," she told AFP at a centre for evacuees in the Dnipropetrovsk region.
Play Video
Pause
Skip Backward
Skip Forward
Unmute
Current Time
0:00
/
Duration
0:00
Loaded
:
0%
0:00
Stream Type
LIVE
Seek to live, currently behind live
LIVE
Remaining Time
-
0:00
1x
Playback Rate
Chapters
Chapters
Descriptions
descriptions off
, selected
Captions
captions settings
, opens captions settings dialog
captions off
, selected
Audio Track
default
, selected
Picture-in-Picture
Fullscreen
This is a modal window.
Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window.
Text
Color
White
Black
Red
Green
Blue
Yellow
Magenta
Cyan
Opacity
Opaque
Semi-Transparent
Text Background
Color
Black
White
Red
Green
Blue
Yellow
Magenta
Cyan
Opacity
Opaque
Semi-Transparent
Transparent
Caption Area Background
Color
Black
White
Red
Green
Blue
Yellow
Magenta
Cyan
Opacity
Transparent
Semi-Transparent
Opaque
Font Size
50%
75%
100%
125%
150%
175%
200%
300%
400%
Text Edge Style
None
Raised
Depressed
Uniform
Drop shadow
Font Family
Proportional Sans-Serif
Monospace Sans-Serif
Proportional Serif
Monospace Serif
Casual
Script
Small Caps
Reset
restore all settings to the default values
Done
Close Modal Dialog
End of dialog window.
by Taboola
by Taboola
Sponsored Links
Sponsored Links
Promoted Links
Promoted Links
You May Like
Buy Brass Idols - Handmade Brass Statues for Home & Gifting
Luxeartisanship
Buy Now
Undo
"Everything is still there. Our car is there. Everything is left there. I am very sad. We worked so hard for 10 years, and now everything is gone," she added.
Russian tanks and infantry swooped over the Ukrainian border more than three years ago. Moscow failed to capture the Ukrainian capital Kyiv in its full-scale invasion and was then pushed back in a rout that embarrased the Kremlin.
Live Events
But Russian forces have been clawing forward across the sprawling front line in eastern Ukraine since late 2022, advancing even as the United States pushes for Moscow and Kyiv to end the war.
The fighting is now nearing Golovanyk's home of town of Slovianka, as Russian forces threaten to gain a foothold for the first time in the industrial Dnipropetrovsk region.
Golovanyk hopes to move with her family to western Ukraine, find housing, work, and enrol her children in school.
'Why risk their lives?'
"Every evacuation is improvised. Every person requires a different approach," said Oleksiy Prima, the regional coordinator of the Proliska humanitarian organisation coordinating the evacuations.
"The most important and painful systemic problem that we face every day is still the security situation. These are drones that strike civilians and evacuation mission vehicles," the 29-year-old told AFP.
The orders to flee Dnipropetrovsk -- issued over the last several months -- follow a painful precedent: Ukrainian authorities say that more than 634 children have been killed and 1987 wounded since
Russia
invaded.
Like most tolls of verified civilian casualties from the war, those numbers are likely to be an underestimate.
Nadiia Gavrylova was among those leaving with her four young children from the town of Mezhova near the eastern border of the Dnipropetrovsk region that Russian forces are advancing towards.
"We really don't want to leave, but we have to. We have to do it for the children," the 33-year-old told AFP outside her home scarred by fighting.
Staying was not an option, she said, and not only because of the mandatory orders from authorities to evacuate.
"We've all seen it on television, and those who haven't seen it on television have seen it with their own eyes, how houses are destroyed," she said.
"And if there are children there, why hide them and risk their lives in the first place?"
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
3 hours ago
- Time of India
One river, two countries: The Indus once fed civilisations. Now it can barely feed its delta
It gave India its name. But things are not exactly great with the great Indus river . What was once the 'Mother of Rivers', today finds its delta withering, mangroves dying and sacred fish like Palla and blind dolphin vanishing. Once Asia's second-largest, the Indus Delta has shrunk drastically due to upstream diversions. The annual freshwater flow to the delta has plummeted from 150–180 million acre-feet (MAF) to often less than 10 MAF. Mangrove coverage has reduced to barely a fifth of its historical extent, while seawater intrusion poisons croplands and groundwater up to 80 km inland. Productivity Tool Zero to Hero in Microsoft Excel: Complete Excel guide By Metla Sudha Sekhar View Program Finance Introduction to Technical Analysis & Candlestick Theory By Dinesh Nagpal View Program Finance Financial Literacy i e Lets Crack the Billionaire Code By CA Rahul Gupta View Program Digital Marketing Digital Marketing Masterclass by Neil Patel By Neil Patel View Program Finance Technical Analysis Demystified- A Complete Guide to Trading By Kunal Patel View Program Productivity Tool Excel Essentials to Expert: Your Complete Guide By Study at home View Program Artificial Intelligence AI For Business Professionals Batch 2 By Ansh Mehra View Program With India signalling unilateral disengagement from the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) after the recent military conflict with Pakistan, tensions between the two neighbours have resurfaced around one of South Asia's most important yet ecologically compromised river systems. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Access all TV channels anywhere, anytime Techno Mag Learn More Undo While Pakistan has vowed to uphold the treaty, the recent strain underscores a larger reality: both countries have paid a profound ecological price for treating rivers as commodities rather than living ecosystems. The 1960 treaty, brokered by World Bank, divided the Indus basin between India and Pakistan, granting the eastern rivers (Ravi, Beas, Sutlej) to India and the western ones (Indus, Jhelum, Chenab) to Pakistan. Live Events Hailed as a model of water diplomacy, the IWT not only partitioned rivers but institutionalised a mindset of hydraulic engineering at the cost of environmental sustainability. As both countries now grapple with climate change and water stress, the flaws of that approach have become unignorable. Long before the treaty, the Indus — or Sindhu — shaped civilisations for over 4,500 years. Known as Sengge Chu in Tibet, Abaseen in Pashto, and Shendu in Chinese chronicles, it nourished the ancient cities of Mohenjo-daro and Harappa, supported empires from the Mauryas to the Mughals, and inspired Vedic hymns, Sufi poetry and pilgrimages. Alexander the Great compared it to the Nile. Persia's Darius I commissioned Scylax to navigate it in the 6th century BCE. Arab conquests under Muhammad bin Qasim relied on controlling the lower Indus. Mughal emperors recorded its richness, and British colonialists mapped its potential. The Rig Veda hymns praised: 'Sindhu in might surpasses all the streams that flow...' Near Rohri, the river nurtures spiritual islands like the shrine of Khwaja Khizr, guardian of waters, and Sadhu Bela temple, founded in 1823. Legends abound: of dolphins circling the island in sacred procession; of Palla fish blushing red when they reach Khwaja Khizr. Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai's Shah Jo Risalo uses the river as metaphor and mirror — for longing, spiritual quest, and separation. Despite this stature, modern nation-states subdued the Indus. Pakistan, with World Bank support post-IWT, built dams (Tarbela, Mangla), canals, and barrages (Guddu, Sukkur, Kotri). India pursued similar projects. Engineering success came with ecological collapse. Freshwater flow decline: from 150–180 MAF to under 10 MAF. Silt starvation: 90% trapped behind dams. Mangrove decline: from 600,000 ha to 100,000–130,000. Fishery collapse: Marine habitats damaged. Sea intrusion: Salinity 80 km inland, displacing communities. Farmers now rely on chemical fertilisers. Poor drainage and insufficient flushing cause waterlogging and salinisation. Signed on September 19, 1960, the IWT gave India control over eastern rivers and provided Pakistan funding for replacement infrastructure through Indus Basin Development Fund. The Bank facilitated $900 million in funding, sparking dam construction in both countries. Since then, the IWT has enabled continued lending: India received $130–140 billion and Pakistan $85–95 billion in Bank commitments by 2024. But the treaty viewed rivers as pipelines, not ecosystems. It lacked provision for environmental flows, delta rejuvenation, or groundwater sustainability. Plans are afoot to divert more Indus water to Cholistan — a desert in Punjab, Pakistan — for corporate farming via six canals. This mirrors past mistakes. Water diversion will deprive downstream Sindh and the delta. Irrigation in arid zones risks salinisation and water loss. Indigenous pastoral communities face displacement. The ancient Hakra (Sarasvati) River once flowed through Cholistan but vanished. If nature abandoned the desert, can engineered canals truly sustain it? With climate change, the treaty faces new challenges. Neither IWT nor its mechanisms anticipated melting glaciers, erratic monsoons or groundwater decline. Himalayan glacial melt now spikes flows unpredictably. Floods and droughts become more frequent. Both countries still follow outdated governance models. Groundwater is collapsing. Both are among the world's top extractors, and Indus Basin aquifers are depleting fast. The Ravi, once flowing through Lahore, is now a toxic drain; Yamuna and Ganga face similar crises. Poor coordination and dam operations worsen floods, as seen in 2010 and 2022 in Pakistan. Through vanishing deltas, displaced farmers, and dying fish, the Sindhu still roars — first heard in Vedic chants, echoed in Sindhi and Punjabi poetry, now resonating in climate-stressed communities. To revive it, both countries must go beyond technocratic division. A reimagined treaty must: Prioritise ecological flows and delta protection Establish joint climate-resilient basin governance Incorporate community-led water stewardship Recognise rivers as living systems, not state-owned assets Because a river doesn't just carry water. It carries memory, identity, and survival. If India and Pakistan are to find common ground, let it be the river that once sustained both. Let the Sindhu flow not just through channels of law and finance, but through shared ecological wisdom and cultural reverence. Only then can we unchain the Indus. (The author is a Karachi-based climate and sustainability expert and founder of Clifton Urban Forest . Views are personal)
Time of India
4 hours ago
- Time of India
Season no bar: This Vijayapura farmer grows Thailand mangoes all year long
Pic:Naveen Manganavar and his wife Danamma pose with a Thailand mango tree at their farm Vijayapura: Naveen Manganavar, alias Nooranda, 45, a farmer from Shivanagi village in Vijayapura taluk and district, has proven that mangoes are not just for summer, cultivating them year-round. Using water from the UKP irrigation project for his land in Kaggod village, he planted 3,000 saplings imported from Thailand on seven acres three years ago. Now, he is earning over Rs 10,000 a day from mango sales, and his farm has become a hotspot for farming enthusiasts in the region. Manganavar told TOI that he was a part-time employee with an insurance company and went to Thailand in 2011. "Since then, the idea was planted firmly in my mind. When I discussed it with my father and three brothers, they said it is risky to venture into it. However, my research and development work on the same continued along with my other routines. Since our land has some stones, we were growing onions and other crops, but it was not profitable. Finally, my family members allowed me to go forward with Thailand mangoes in 2021, and we ordered 5,000 saplings. In the course of three years, 2,000 saplings failed, and 3,000 started giving fruits from 2024," he added. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like She Mixed Pink Salt With This - Now She Can't Stop Losing Weight Break The Weight Learn More Undo He further added, "By the time we decided to plant mango saplings, our elected representative, MB Patil, was successful in bringing Krishna River water through lift irrigation projects. Thanks to the canal, our borewell was recharged with plenty of water. Now, we are getting a mango yield of 15-20 dozen per day, and our minimum revenue is Rs 10,000 per day. As many as 7-8 family members work on the farm, and this number increases on weekends. We have tied up with a private courier to send mango boxes as per the demand. As of now, we have a base of retail customers from Bengaluru, Kalaburagi, and Vijayapura," he stated. He is using Jeevamruta and vermicompost to make the fruits free from chemicals. "As they ripen on the tree itself, we need not adopt a ripening procedure using chemicals," he affirmed. Nitish Biradar, another farmer from Shivanagi, commented that seeing this experiment, many are planning to plant Thailand mangoes in the coming years. "When we took these fruits to minister MB Patil, he was happy to know that his irrigation project turned fruitful," he added. Mahantesh Biradar, a horticulture enthusiast, remarked that Thailand mangoes have a different but unique fragrance, and now Vijayapura people are enjoying them throughout the year. Stay updated with the latest local news from your city on Times of India (TOI). Check upcoming bank holidays , public holidays , and current gold rates and silver prices in your area. Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with Raksha Bandhan wishes , messages and quotes !
Time of India
5 hours ago
- Time of India
Govt to start safe septic tank cleaning drive from Aug 15
Bhubaneswar: In a bid to ensure safety of sanitation workers, the housing and urban development department has decided to launch a comprehensive awareness drive on safe septic tank cleaning across the state starting Aug 15. Announcing this on its social media handle X (formerly Twitter), the urban development department stated that it will be a 15-day long IEC campaign, which will cover all 115 urban local bodies of the state. "A 15-day IEC campaign on safe septic tank cleaning will be launched across all ULBs from August 15. A preparatory meeting was held under the chairpersonship of Usha Padhee, principal secretary, H&UD department, with ULB officials through video conferencing," the announcement reads. The department has stated that the campaign will focus on community awareness, safe desludging, and promoting mechanised cleaning to ensure safety, dignity, and zero manual entry in septic tank operations. Notably, chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi recently announced a range of social welfare benefits for the core sanitation workers, primarily the septic tank cleaners, which include insurance benefits, housing provisions, and healthcare benefits, among others. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like The Secret Lives of the Romanovs — the Last Rulers of Imperial Russia! Learn More Undo The state govt in the past introduced comprehensive Odisha Urban Septage Management Guidelines-2016, which define the role of house owners as well as the urban local bodies in the construction of the septic tanks in houses. It also specified the safety measures to be followed for the septic tank cleaners and barred manual scavenging. However, due to lack of awareness and implementation issues, the state in the past witnessed several tragic incidents involving the sanitation workers. "We are aware of the situation and the risk core sanitation workers take during their day-to-day job. The awareness drive to be launched by the department will cover all these issues and raise awareness on safety," an urban development department official said. He said during the awareness drive, the civic body officials will also be sensitised on the safety of the sanitation workers. "The specified guidelines will be implemented for proper septage management in urban areas," the official added. Stay updated with the latest local news from your city on Times of India (TOI). Check upcoming bank holidays , public holidays , and current gold rates and silver prices in your area. Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with Raksha Bandhan wishes , messages and quotes !
