Caught in Crossfire: One Couple’s Story of Courage through Occupation & Evacuation
As the full-scale invasion of Ukraine continues well into its third year, life for civilians in frontline and temporarily occupied territories has become increasingly difficult. Artillery shelling, drones, and missiles present consistent risks to civilian safety. Access to services such as medical care is extremely limited, and livelihoods have been disrupted. For civilians living in these communities, the process of evacuation can also be quite dangerous.
NP has played an instrumental role in ensuring effective support and coordination for volunteer groups who carry out the majority of civilian evacuations, in lieu of government authorities, at great personal risk to themselves.
Life Under Occupation in Starytsia
On May 8, 2024, the residents of Starytsia – a village in Kharkiv – were informed that they needed to evacuate. But not everyone heeded the warning. Yuliia and Viktor*, a couple in their seventies, had already lived through Russian occupation in February 2022, when the invasion of Ukraine began. They decided to stay in their home despite the evacuation order because they had no clear option on where they would go and did not fully understand the severity of the situation. They were preparing to live through occupation once again, anticipating it would be much like before. Quickly, the situation escalated beyond their expectations.
"Your life is the most important, not your house, nor your personal belongings."
On May 10, the advancement of Russian forces into Kharkiv began. By May 15, the Ukrainian Armed Forces had retreated from Starytsia. Yuliia and Viktor’s hometown was now occupied by Russian Federation Forces. The days that followed, Yuliia and Viktor described as “hell.” Their town was caught up in the crossfire.
Every 3 to 4 hours, the Russian Federation (RF) Air Force would bomb the settlement. When it was not being bombed, the RF forces used their home to set up temporary positions – a clear violation of International Humanitarian Law. Yuliia and Viktor hid in the basement. As bombs dropped, their home was gradually destroyed. Only the kitchen remained above them.
Viktor would emerge just to fetch water from a well in their yard, which became an extremely risky undertaking. Without running water, gas, and cellular connection, the only means of subsistence was conserved food in their cellar (including some dried food like rice and macaroni from previously donated humanitarian aid). Their generator along with many other household items was taken by the RF forces in the first days of occupation.
Recalling those first days, Yuliia said she was in the kitchen preparing food when she reached for a spice jar and quickly realized she had instead picked up a grenade. Terrified, she called for Viktor and he disposed of them in a nearby crater left by an air strike.
The Road to Safety
On September 4th, at 5:00 a.m., Viktor heard a drone flying above and was extremely relieved when he heard the Ukrainian language coming from the drone operator. He and Yuliia along with two others quickly gathered their belongings and began following the directions of the drone operator, which accompanied them through their journey, guiding them and giving instructions for their safety.
The couple lagged behind the others as Yuliia cannot walk well. Viktor searched for a wheelchair to push his wife, but couldn’t find one. Instead, he pulled Yuliia on a chair and dragged her four kilometers until the chair legs wore out.
During the journey, Yuliia told Viktor to “go on without me,” to which he responded, “I am not leaving without you.” Eventually, the couple reached the Ukrainian forces, but by that point, Yuliia had lost consciousness. She was hospitalized for one week in Kharkiv.
Thinking back to their decision to stay in Starytsia instead of leaving during the evacuation order, they shared that if they had been offered clear information on the process and options for accommodation, they would have left. But in the absence of sufficient information, they remained and were exposed to critical safety risks. This observation echoes testimonies NP has collected from evacuees in all frontline areas of Ukraine, with a lack of comprehensive information or access to it cited as the key impediment to timely and informed decisions on relocation.
*names changed for anonymity
Bridging the Gap
The humanitarian response in Ukraine depends on strong collaboration between international and local actors. Often, local partners lead aid efforts in volatile frontline areas, taking on a disproportionate share of safety and security risks in the effort to support the most at-risk communities. To address these gaps, NP has worked to support locally-led, Ukrainian organizations carrying out evacuations and keeping civilians safe through our:
- Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Lending Program equipping volunteers with ballistic jackets, helmets, and first aid kits
- Volunteer Insurance Program providing access to health and life insurance
- First Aid and CPR Training