In June 2023, following the destruction of the Kakhovka Dam, 64-year-old Iryna and her husband, Vasyl, were caught in a living nightmare. For five days, they endured severe flooding that reached the ceiling of their home while also being under constant shelling. Living on the Russian-occupied side of the Dnipro River, the couple faced a momentous decision to leave their home, knowing they might never return.
“After five days, it became unbearable. Everything was flooded, and the shelling only worsened,” Iryna recounts.
An opportunity arose to be evacuated by armed Ukrainian forces via boat, a risky venture as the boat could become a target for Russian troops. Nevertheless, they accepted the offer.
“As we ventured onto the river, I saw a drone hover above us. Then I saw soldiers at the shore, we had just left. They aimed their rifles at us and fired,” Iryna says.
“I was hit in the face. I remember thinking: This is it. I held my head in my hands as blood flowed down. The last thing I heard before losing consciousness was shouting about the boat sinking. I was convinced I was going to die.”
On the boat, Iryna was hit by small arms fire in her arm, leg, and head.
“My first thought when I woke up was: Where is Vasyl? I was told he was okay, and then I relaxed,” tells Iryna.
New house, new start
Contrary to her fears, Iryna woke up in a hospital, weakened but alive.
Iryna was quickly transferred to Mykolaiv for surgery, where she underwent two facial operations, removing her left eye and replacing it with a glass implant, and three surgeries on her left hand.
It was during this period that Iryna connected with DCA/NCA’s partner organisation Right to Protection. The organisation’s case management worker provided invaluable support throughout the legal and bureaucratic processes necessary for her to receive plastic surgery. The organization also facilitated her treatment at a Plastic Surgery Centre in Lviv, where she could undergo rehabilitation. Later, Iryna was granted a disability pension.
“I didn’t have any money, any credit card, or anything. Everything was destroyed or left in our house that we were evacuated from,” Iryna says gripping the hand of her husband Vasyl.
“Now, we have been allocated a house, we have received some furniture and kitchen equipment. I have started to make a kitchen garden and flower beds again – just like I had them at our home.”
“We are happy here”
Iryna’s husband, Vasyl, also sustained severe injuries during the evacuation. Right to Protection assisted him in obtaining war invalid status. The organization further supported the couple in finding a new home together in Snihurivka, southeastern Ukraine. They also received assistance in purchasing essential items like a water heater, a gas stove, and kitchen equipment.
However, their thoughts are ever drawing them towards their home.
“We want to go back to our family home. If only the bombings would stop. If only the war would stop. There are so many dead and so many dying. Everyone just wants to go back to their old life,” she says drawing a sigh. She lifts her head, stoically producing a smile.
“But for now we are happy here.”
