Feeling groggy, I opened my eyes as my phone buzzed on the bedside table. It was 6am on 24 February 2022 and, holding the phone to my ear, I heard my sister’s panicked voice.
‘War has started; you must leave Kyiv,’ she wept, and I jolted awake, wondering why she was talking like this.
We were an ordinary family living in the centre of Kyiv, Ukraine’s capital city. Every morning, I’d make breakfast for my son Bohdan, then nine, and daughter Elizabeth, seven, before we headed off on the school run and then I’d go to my teaching job. In my spare time, I ran my own business as a nutritionist.
With my husband working away as an interpreter, it was a hectic but happy life, and it was inconceivable that something as earth-shattering as war could disrupt it. But checking the news, my heart sank when I saw that Russia had invaded Ukraine. With Kyiv a target, we were in terrible danger.
RUSH TO THE BASEMENT
I couldn’t reach my husband but my mum was staying with us. ‘There’s no point trying to leave the city right now,’ I told her, having seen a news report about all routes out of Kyiv being gridlocked and unsafe. The official government advice was to remain indoors so we hurried to the basement of our apartment building.
Thankfully, there was a communal bathroom and kitchen. For several days, we stayed there alongside our neighbours, sleeping on mattresses.
The children trembled as bombs fell a few streets away. I wrapped my arms around them and promised to protect them. Deep down, I knew it was a promise I couldn’t necessarily keep.
Denne historien er fra July 17, 2023-utgaven av WOMAN'S OWN.
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Denne historien er fra July 17, 2023-utgaven av WOMAN'S OWN.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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FAST & THRIFTY DINNERS
Filling family meals to save you time and money
ARE VIRAL FITNESS TRENDS WORTH THE HYPE?
Keen to know if the workouts she sees online can actually make her fitter, Rachel Tompkins, 44, gives them a try
GO OUT OF SEASON
While some European cities seem to go into hibernation over winter, others just get better in the colder months
MY LIFE IN MUSIC
Monica Cafferky, 55, reveals how certain tunes bring back special memories
THE DECISION THAT CHANGED MY LIFE
After trying diets without success, Breanne Concannon, 31, was left feeling hopeless
MY TOY ΒΟΥ KEEPS ME YOUNG
For Trish Hughes, 44, the thrills of being married to a man 20 years younger is worth all the judgement
'THAT'S NOT MY BABY'
Lying in the hospital bed, my husband Michael had tears of happiness in his eyes as he showed me a photo on his phone. 'Here she is,' he said proudly. 'This is our beautiful baby girl.'I stared at the photo and shook my head. 'No, that's not my baby,' I said. 'There must be a mistake.'It was August 2010 and I'd not long before had an emergency caesarean. I'd not had a chance to see Winnie when she arrived as she'd been whisked away for tests because she was nearly two months premature.
CAUGHT IN THE ACT
Hayley, 45, has her son to thank for crucial evidence
'I'D LOVE TO DO EASTENDERS'
Loose Women's Linda Robson on the daytime show, dating and her next career move
Beckhams INSIDE THEIR PROPERTY EMPIRE
We take a look at the power couple's posh pads
