Latest news with #WhiteAngels
Boston Globe
2 days ago
- Health
- Boston Globe
A Ukrainian girl struggles to survive her country's war and her own
'As I tell everyone, life has stopped,' her mother said. 'The only thing that matters now is saving my child's life.' Advertisement They were able to reunite with Margaryta's father, and Kyiv offers the care she needs, despite the destruction last July of Ukraine's largest children's hospital and pediatric cancer center, in the heart of the city, by a Russian missile. But the capital does not feel like a refuge, battered by Russian drones and missiles far more often than cities in western Ukraine. Margaryta lamented that while the children being treated alongside her were able to return home between treatments, she could not. Advertisement 'She's already had six rounds of chemotherapy,' her mother said. 'Now she'll begin radiation. She's lost weight, and I have to force her to eat.' With Russia appearing to prepare for a renewed offensive this summer, the bombardment of the towns and villages along the front has grown more intense. Russian forces dropped more than 5,000 powerful guided bombs along and near the front in April, compared with 3,370 in February, according to the Ukrainian military. A primary target has been Kostiantynivka, a logistics hub for Ukrainian forces in the east that is north of the Karpovas' hometown of Novoolenivka. Once an industrial town of about 67,000 people, it now lies mostly in ruins. Russian forces have been advancing on it from the southwest, through places like Novoolenivka, setting the stage for what could be a brutal urban battle. The intensifying international diplomacy to broker a ceasefire has so far failed to halt -- or even curb -- the violence. Every Russian advance, no matter how small, uproots more families who sought to hang on to their homes as long as they could. But some 280,000 civilians, according to government estimates -- including more than 21,000 children -- remain in the portion of the Donetsk region that Ukraine still controls. Appeals for more evacuations are constant. The New York Times spent time last fall traveling with the White Angels, a special Ukrainian police unit, collecting civilians who could no longer stay. To reach Novoolenivka and rescue Margaryta and her mother, Major Vasyl Pipa, a 41-year-old police officer coordinating evacuations, had to run a gantlet along what officers had begun calling 'the road of death.' Russian bombs had obliterated entire homes, leaving not even the foundations. Advertisement Burned-out civilian cars littered the roadside -- some smoldering, others reduced to contorted, blackened metal. One still contained a charred body; the shelling had not paused long enough for someone to recover it. The drill was by then grimly familiar, as Pipa carefully fitted Margaryta with a vest and helmet, seeking to keep her calm even as artillery thundered nearby. For her mother, the war never stopped; it simply changed form. The air raid sirens in Kyiv now blend into the rhythm of hospital visits and blood tests. Margaryta, who recently turned 13, struggles to make sense of her suffering. 'She says, 'Why me? Why has God punished me?'' Karpova said, her voice breaking. 'She has moments of aggression and says, 'I'm not beautiful anymore.' I try to comfort her, but she tells me, 'You don't understand my pain.'' 'It's dangerous here too,' Karpova added. 'Sometimes I look around and don't know what to expect -- now or in an hour, when the explosions start again.' Still, there is nowhere else for them to go. Their village is wiped out. The house where Karpova spent 39 years -- where she raised her children and buried her father -- is gone. Her mother remained behind in the now-occupied territory. She managed to get in touch and is alive, staying with relatives, but the uncertainty of what may come weighs heavily. Even knowing there may be nothing left, Karpova feels drawn to the place she cannot help thinking of as home. 'I will definitely go home,' she said. 'My father is buried there -- I promised him I would visit his grave.' Advertisement This article originally appeared in
The Sun
22-05-2025
- General
- The Sun
Elderly Ukrainians Refuse to Flee War-Torn Lyman
Lidia Isayeva, 86, has been living alone in a cellar to shelter from Russian strikes that have destroyed her apartment and part of her hometown. Asked if she has any plans to leave Lyman, a town near the front in eastern Ukraine, she is categorical: 'Never!' 'I have a paradise here,' Isayeva told AFP, in the narrow underground corridor that served as her kitchen, the scent of cooked onions cutting through the musty air. Her husband is buried in the town and she cannot fathom being apart from him. 'I want to be close to him, and nowhere else.' The answer is the same as on the several previous occasions AFP visited her since last year. 'We're home, we'll die at home,' she said. Despite the risks, some Ukrainians choose to stay on in the ruins, holding on to a lifetime of memories in towns where many have lived forever. Many are elderly residents who fear they have nowhere else to go or who cannot bear the trauma of leaving. Wearing a purple jumper and felt slippers, Isayeva said she never thought her 'life would be like this'. Sitting in her armchair, she scrupulously crosses off each passing day on a calender. Millions have fled the fighting in Ukraine's east over the last decade. First when Russian-backed separatists launched an offensive in 2014 and more after Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022. Dangerous optimism Some have since returned. Isayeva's neighbour, Valentyna Romenska, said she was evacuated to Kyiv three years ago. Everything was going well until the 86-year-old pensioner discovered bedbugs in her new home. She returned to Lyman, just ten kilometres (six miles) from the front, and sees no reason to leave again. The explosions do not bother her because she is 'a bit deaf.' And anyway, a metal screw she uses to tell 'fortunes' recently predicted 'peace in May'. Two short-term truces declared by Russia have not stopped the fighting -- and often complicated evacuation efforts. 'Several times we came to an address and the person said, 'Why should I evacuate, it seems to be calm',' said Eduard Skoryk from East SOS, which helps people evacuate from the front. His colleague, 33-year-old Roman Bugayov, said people want everything to work out and are willing to believe 'rumours'. 'It's an optimism that can lead to death,' he warned. Skoryk said he recently went to a house where he was supposed to evacuate the residents, only to find it reduced to rubble by a strike. Leaving is frightening Regional authorities regularly call on residents near the front line to flee, and evacuations are mandatory in the most dangerous areas. The refusal of some residents to leave frustrates those risking their lives to try to save them. Many of the rescuers themselves had to flee their hometowns and know that leaving is scary. But Bugayov said he was 'indignant' at some who choose to stay. Sometimes they have to move the same family 'two, three, four times' said Pavlo Dyachenko, a police officer from the White Angels unit, which specialises in evacuations. Sometimes people who are evacuated and then return are killed by a strike. A minority of the holdouts are quietly waiting for the Russian army to arrive. Others stay out of fear they cannot afford to live anywhere else. Internal refugees receive a monthly allowance of around $48 per adult and $72 per child. Isayeva said she would need 'a bag of money' to leave, as her savings would not be enough to get by in areas more expensive than those near the front line. Dyachenko said that experienced teams understood very quickly whether a person could be persuaded to leave or if it was pointless. Still, they can be surprised at times. The police officer recalled a recent example of woman who was refusing point-blank to leave Pokrovsk, a town under constant Russian fire. As a last resort, the rescue team showed her a video message from her sister, whom she had not seen for ten years. 'I'm waiting for you,' the sister said, urging her to evacuate. Within minutes, the woman had packed her belongings and was on the road with the rescue team.
The Sun
22-05-2025
- General
- The Sun
Clinging to home in the ruins of eastern Ukraine
Lidia Isayeva, 86, has been living alone in a cellar to shelter from Russian strikes that have destroyed her apartment and part of her hometown. Asked if she has any plans to leave Lyman, a town near the front in eastern Ukraine, she is categorical: 'Never!' 'I have a paradise here,' Isayeva told AFP, in the narrow underground corridor that served as her kitchen, the scent of cooked onions cutting through the musty air. Her husband is buried in the town and she cannot fathom being apart from him. 'I want to be close to him, and nowhere else.' The answer is the same as on the several previous occasions AFP visited her since last year. 'We're home, we'll die at home,' she said. Despite the risks, some Ukrainians choose to stay on in the ruins, holding on to a lifetime of memories in towns where many have lived forever. Many are elderly residents who fear they have nowhere else to go or who cannot bear the trauma of leaving. Wearing a purple jumper and felt slippers, Isayeva said she never thought her 'life would be like this'. Sitting in her armchair, she scrupulously crosses off each passing day on a calender. Millions have fled the fighting in Ukraine's east over the last decade. First when Russian-backed separatists launched an offensive in 2014 and more after Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022. Dangerous optimism Some have since returned. Isayeva's neighbour, Valentyna Romenska, said she was evacuated to Kyiv three years ago. Everything was going well until the 86-year-old pensioner discovered bedbugs in her new home. She returned to Lyman, just ten kilometres (six miles) from the front, and sees no reason to leave again. The explosions do not bother her because she is 'a bit deaf.' And anyway, a metal screw she uses to tell 'fortunes' recently predicted 'peace in May'. Two short-term truces declared by Russia have not stopped the fighting -- and often complicated evacuation efforts. 'Several times we came to an address and the person said, 'Why should I evacuate, it seems to be calm',' said Eduard Skoryk from East SOS, which helps people evacuate from the front. His colleague, 33-year-old Roman Bugayov, said people want everything to work out and are willing to believe 'rumours'. 'It's an optimism that can lead to death,' he warned. Skoryk said he recently went to a house where he was supposed to evacuate the residents, only to find it reduced to rubble by a strike. Leaving is frightening Regional authorities regularly call on residents near the front line to flee, and evacuations are mandatory in the most dangerous areas. The refusal of some residents to leave frustrates those risking their lives to try to save them. Many of the rescuers themselves had to flee their hometowns and know that leaving is scary. But Bugayov said he was 'indignant' at some who choose to stay. Sometimes they have to move the same family 'two, three, four times' said Pavlo Dyachenko, a police officer from the White Angels unit, which specialises in evacuations. Sometimes people who are evacuated and then return are killed by a strike. A minority of the holdouts are quietly waiting for the Russian army to arrive. Others stay out of fear they cannot afford to live anywhere else. Internal refugees receive a monthly allowance of around $48 per adult and $72 per child. Isayeva said she would need 'a bag of money' to leave, as her savings would not be enough to get by in areas more expensive than those near the front line. Dyachenko said that experienced teams understood very quickly whether a person could be persuaded to leave or if it was pointless. Still, they can be surprised at times. The police officer recalled a recent example of woman who was refusing point-blank to leave Pokrovsk, a town under constant Russian fire. As a last resort, the rescue team showed her a video message from her sister, whom she had not seen for ten years. 'I'm waiting for you,' the sister said, urging her to evacuate. Within minutes, the woman had packed her belongings and was on the road with the rescue team.
New Straits Times
22-05-2025
- General
- New Straits Times
Clinging to home in the ruins of eastern Ukraine
LIDIA Isayeva, 86, has been living alone in a cellar to shelter from Russian strikes that have destroyed her apartment and part of her hometown. Asked if she has any plans to leave Lyman, a town near the front in eastern Ukraine, she is categorical: "Never!" "I have a paradise here," Isayeva told AFP, in the narrow underground corridor that served as her kitchen, the scent of cooked onions cutting through the musty air. Her husband is buried in the town and she cannot fathom being apart from him. "I want to be close to him, and nowhere else." The answer is the same as on the several previous occasions AFP visited her since last year. "We're home, we'll die at home," she said. Despite the risks, some Ukrainians choose to stay on in the ruins, holding on to a lifetime of memories in towns where many have lived forever. Many are elderly residents who fear they have nowhere else to go or who cannot bear the trauma of leaving. Wearing a purple jumper and felt slippers, Isayeva said she never thought her "life would be like this." Sitting in her armchair, she scrupulously crosses off each passing day on a calender. Millions have fled the fighting in Ukraine's east over the last decade. First when Russian-backed separatists launched an offensive in 2014 and more after Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022. Some have since returned. Isayeva's neighbour, Valentyna Romenska, said she was evacuated to Kyiv three years ago. Everything was going well until the 86-year-old pensioner discovered bedbugs in her new home. She returned to Lyman, just ten kilometres (six miles) from the front, and sees no reason to leave again. The explosions do not bother her because she is "a bit deaf." And anyway, a metal screw she uses to tell "fortunes" recently predicted "peace in May." Two short-term truces declared by Russia have not stopped the fighting – and often complicated evacuation efforts. "Several times we came to an address and the person said, 'Why should I evacuate, it seems to be calm'," said Eduard Skoryk from East SOS, which helps people evacuate from the front. His colleague, 33-year-old Roman Bugayov, said people want everything to work out and are willing to believe "rumours." "It's an optimism that can lead to death," he warned. Skoryk said he recently went to a house where he was supposed to evacuate the residents, only to find it reduced to rubble by a strike. Regional authorities regularly call on residents near the front line to flee, and evacuations are mandatory in the most dangerous areas. The refusal of some residents to leave frustrates those risking their lives to try to save them. Many of the rescuers themselves had to flee their hometowns and know that leaving is scary. But Bugayov said he was "indignant" at some who choose to stay. Sometimes they have to move the same family "two, three, four times" said Pavlo Dyachenko, a police officer from the White Angels unit, which specialises in evacuations. Sometimes people who are evacuated and then return are killed by a strike. A minority of the holdouts are quietly waiting for the Russian army to arrive. Others stay out of fear they cannot afford to live anywhere else. Internal refugees receive a monthly allowance of around US$48 per adult and US$72 per child. Isayeva said she would need "a bag of money" to leave, as her savings would not be enough to get by in areas more expensive than those near the front line. Dyachenko said that experienced teams understood very quickly whether a person could be persuaded to leave or if it was pointless. Still, they can be surprised at times. The police officer recalled a recent example of woman who was refusing point-blank to leave Pokrovsk, a town under constant Russian fire. As a last resort, the rescue team showed her a video message from her sister, whom she had not seen for ten years. "I'm waiting for you," the sister said, urging her to evacuate. Within minutes, the woman had packed her belongings and was on the road with the rescue team.
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Yahoo
Family with six-day-old baby evacuated from Sumy Oblast
A mother and her three children have been evacuated from the border area of Sumy Oblast by White Angels evacuation teams from Ukraine's National Police. The youngest member of the family is only six days old. Source: Sumy Oblast Police on Facebook Details: The family was evacuated from the town of Vorozhba, which is one of the most heavily attacked areas in the oblast. The 36-year-old mother, along with her three sons aged 12, 7, and a newborn, has been taken to a safer place. "The baby has not yet seen a world without war; his little life began in conditions where every day is a trial," the police added. An elderly couple was also evacuated from the town of Bilopillia. They had long refused to leave their home until the attacks became too dangerous. A 64-year-old man and his 59-year-old wife had hoped that "everything would pass" and that their home would "withstand". "We never thought we would be fleeing from war in our old age," the couple said. "But we are deeply grateful to know we have not been forgotten." Background: Earlier, White Angels police evacuation teams evacuated a woman and her 12 dogs from Sumy Oblast. The woman had refused to leave the dangerous settlement earlier because she could not abandon her pets. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon!
