The war in Ukraine began on February 24, 2022. Peace is still not in sight. Ukrainians are faced with completely destroyed homes, which is particularly hard in winter. They are grateful for any help, for example from UNHCR.
Anton Petrovich is one of them. The 86-year-old and his wife live in a small village in the Mykolaiv region in the south of Ukraine. Until two years ago, their life was quite normal. They had two cows, pigs, geese, chickens - and 70 pigeons, his pride and joy. People even came from Moscow to buy the beautiful animals, he says.
The shock runs deep
But suddenly everything changed. Anton remembers how his home came under heavy fire shortly after the outbreak of war in April 2022. Every day he heard the artillery fire, shells flew over their heads and he saw a car fly through the air from a bomb. Then it hit him: "I was thrown off my bike by the explosion of a shell and broke my leg. When my son came the next morning, I was still lying on the ground because I couldn't move." His son took Anton to hospital, where his broken leg was treated. He then drove his parents to Odessa, to safety.
They escaped, but he is still in shock, says Anton. "I'm so stressed, it feels like a pain in my chest, literally. I'm always stressed. But I'm not scared of anything! I have survived and will live on!" He wants to live to be a 100, says the 86-year-old. He is determined to do so.
"You can still see the holes in the walls"
His leg has now healed well, but Anton can no longer move as well as before the injury. He walks with a crutch. Sometimes he still has pain, but he simply walks it away. Sitting around is nothing for the sprightly Ukrainian.
That's why he and his wife have returned to their village - to a completely devastated country. "Everything had simply disappeared. The house was destroyed, the roof gone. The water dripped in and destroyed all the furniture, carpets, mattresses and clothes. The gas stove and fridge were shot to pieces. You can still see the holes in the walls." He tried to repair the stove, but as gas was leaking, it was too dangerous. In the beginning, they had to cook on hot stones. The garden, where they had grown potatoes and onions before the war, had also been looted. He lost everything and wished there had been at least one pigeon left, says Anton.
A warm room thanks to UNHCR
But giving up was never an option for him. Together with his son and daughter, he rebuilt the house, and neighbours also helped. They now have electricity again and Anton was able to buy a few chickens and a goat. Now he and his wife have their own milk and a supply of eggs. He also manages in winter: "I manage somehow. We have chopped a room full of wood for heating and try to use as little of it as possible. I didn't wait for humanitarian aid. I never hoped to get anything from anyone." Nevertheless, he is very happy about the heater, which was financed by UNHCR and provided by a partner organization. Of course, it helps a lot, especially when his children and grandchildren come to visit. Then they would simply put all the beds in the room where the heater was installed and everyone would be warm, says Anton Petrovich gratefully.
"We need peace!"
The 86-year-old now hopes that the war will end soon. Then farming could finally be resumed, which would help them a lot. But the younger generations in particular need peace: "Our grandchildren need peace so they can go to school and learn. I have a great-grandson, he goes to school online, but what can you learn online?"
We keep on helping!
UNHCR teams are on the ground to support people like Anton who have had to flee the war and may then return home. Last year alone, UNHCR was able to provide assistance to more than 2.6 million people in Ukraine. Among other things, staff have distributed tons of aid material, such as shelter repair kits, so that people can repair their homes. UNHCR is helping with the work itself, providing legal advice and psychological support for traumatized victims and distributing cash to families so that they can buy essentials such as food, medicine and winter clothing.
All of this is only possible thanks to the support of people like you. And now that the war is unfortunately entering its third year, we need even more resources to be able to provide those affected with the help they need.
