Diana knows what it’s like to leave home because of the Russians, not by hearsay. She was born in Crimea, but in early 2014 her family was forced to flee the occupation to Kharkiv. It was there that her childhood was spent, full of travel and searching for her place. However, on February 24, 2022, war caught up with the girl for the second time. Her story is a tale of stolen youth, a found graduation, and an important reminder for all Ukrainians.
A 5am call and panic on the floor
The full-scale invasion began for Diana with a phone call from her uncle at five in the morning. While her parents were still sleeping peacefully, he asked to hand them the phone — that’s how the family learned that a major war had begun and that they needed to pack up immediately.
The first few hours passed in a stupor as the family tried to digest the information and chaotically gathered the essentials. Then the parents went to the grocery store, leaving Diana at home with her pets. It was then that the girl first realized the horror of the situation.
“I read the telegram channels, see what’s happening, and start hearing explosions in the distance. I got really scared. Panic set in: I sat on the floor near the entrance, cried, and called my mom. She didn’t pick up the phone, and that made me even more anxious,” recalls Diana.
| Consequences of Russian shelling of Kharkiv Photo: UKRINFORM, president.gov.ua, Anton Avizhas
After a month of living in such conditions, the family realized: there is no future here. There is no work, everything is closed, life has stopped. They had to fit their entire past and future into two suitcases and the trunk of a car.
| Freedom Square in Kharkiv, April 11, 2022
Fortunately, her parents quickly returned with the groceries. Her mother advised the girl to sleep for at least half an hour so that her nervous system could cope with the stress. Around five in the evening, as dusk began to fall, the family left Kharkiv. This decision turned out to be fateful – they managed to slip away just before multi-kilometer traffic jams formed at the exits from the city.
Life "out of a suitcase" and a stolen graduation certificate
The first stop was Dnipropetrovsk region. The family lived near the Dnipro River in a house of strangers, hoping that everything would soon be over and they would be able to return to Kharkiv. But the war continued, so they had to go further west.
Diana spent the next year in Chernivtsi. Education moved to an online format, which took away one of the most important moments of her youth - graduating from elementary school.
"I finished ninth grade on Zoom. I'm sorry that some people still celebrated like that, through a screen. It was tragic. Everyone really wanted to feel freedom, but, unfortunately, this freedom was taken away from us," the girl shares her experiences.
A rediscovered holiday and new life in Uzhhorod
Later, the family moved to Ivano-Frankivsk. There, Diana went to a regular, offline school for grades 10 and 11. This decision allowed her to regain a piece of her stolen normal life: she transferred to a local institution and was able to experience what it was like to be a real graduate and have a great graduation party.
After graduating from school, the girl entered Uzhhorod National University (UzhNU) and is currently studying in Zakarpattia.
Main reminder for the rear
During her time living in different parts of western Ukraine, Diana noticed a disturbing trend: the further away people are from the front line, the faster they get used to comfort.
“I saw that some people who live in the West and who have never seen this war and heard the explosions constantly forget who they are. Our youth, our people sometimes forget that we are Ukrainians, and that the war is still going on here.”
With her story, the girl, who twice fled from Russian aggression, wants to convey one simple but extremely important message: "Don't forget this. Don't forget who protects us and who protects us. People at the front are fighting for us, and we should be very grateful to them. Thank you to all those who are reclaiming our territories. Glory to Ukraine!"