From Mariupol to Kyiv, the Trail of a Terrible War

AFP/ED JONES

Evgueni Tichtchenko (C), Tetiana Komissarova (2nd L) and their children Ivan (L), Ioulia (3rd L), Anna (2nd R) and Sashko (R) pose prior to board an evacuation train to Lviv the day after arriving with a humanitarian convoy from the besieged city of Mariupol, at a railway station in the southern city of Zaporijjia on April 22, 2022. - After almost two months under Russian bombs in Mariupol, the Tichtchenko-Komissarova family decided to make the most perilous journey: to escape on foot with their four children from the destroyed city in order to find a sense of normalcy elsewhere in Ukraine.

Mariupol, a port city in southeastern Ukraine and one of the most fiercely fought warzones between Russian and Ukrainian forces, leaves a trail of such a harrowing experience its residents will never forget.

KYIV, KOMPAS — Sergei, 64, now has to rearrange his retirement plans. Anna ended up dealing with her daughter's documents during an evacuation. Svitlana has been forced to abandon the kindergarten where she taught for 25 years. All are due to the unthinkable reality that Mariupol has been devastated by the Russia-Ukraine war.

Once a bustling port city in the southeastern region of Ukraine, Mariupol is enduring massive destruction following three months of siege and shelling by Russian troops, which began their invasion of Ukraine on 24 Feb., 2022.

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So devastating was the damage caused by the battle, Mariupol is depicted as other cities in the world that were completely destroyed by wars, namely Guernica (Spain), Stalingrad, Grozny (Russia) and Aleppo (Syria). In mid-May, Mariupol fell into Russian hands.

As a crew of an international merchant ship, Sergei had enough savings to live his retirement life in his apartment in the center of Mariupol. As his wife and parents have died and his daughter resides in Kyiv, he lived alone in Mariupol.

The war forced him to leave the apartment he had lived in for several years.

The capital city is about 915 kilometers northwest of Mariupol.

"There is no longer any reason for me to go back there. Maybe, if things have calmed down, I'll go there and have a look. After that, I will come back and live here,” said Sergei when we met him in Kyiv on Wednesday (15/6/2022). The capital city is about 915 kilometers northwest of Mariupol.

He had just picked up two bags of groceries from the Kyiv branch of the YaMariupol office. YaMariupol is a makeshift community service agency formed by the Mariupol municipal government to help Mariupol residents in the refugee camps. Mariupol Mayor Vadym Boichenko has also become an evacuee in the capital city. Back in May, he appealed to his citizens not to return to Mariupol with the city still being occupied by Russia.

KOMPAS/HARRY SUSILO

Mariupol residents gather in front of the Yamariupol building, in Kyiv, Ukraine, Wednesday (15/6/2022). Yamariupol is an institution that provides services for victims of war from Mariupol who have fled.

From the exile camp, Boichenko has attempted to continue government services for the residents, among others, by administering the establishment of 11 YaMariupol offices in various parts of Ukraine. All volunteers and those served by the community centers are Mariupol residents in evacuation.

"There are 20,000 Mariupol people here," said Valerina, a YaMariupol volunteer in Kyiv.

Stuck in crossfire

While Valerina had made it to Kyiv before the war broke out, fellow citizens Sergei, Svitlana and Anna had been caught in the war for several weeks before they finally struggled out of Mariupol.

"I didn’t dare to leave the house. I saw from the apartment window people shooting. The army forbade us to go out," Sergei said, recounting the fighting situation.

When he finally reached the parking lot, he got into his car and immediately headed out of town. The trip that normally takes three hours turned into a nine-hour ordeal because he and several other residents had to pass through several checkpoints, either set up by the Russian army and the Donetsk militia as Russian allies or the Ukrainian army and militia.

At a checkpoint guarded by the Russians and the Donetsk militia, they were ordered to delete photos and videos recording the destruction of Mariupol.

"I complied because they had weapons," Sergei said.

From having a monthly income he received from the retirement savings package, he is now a recipient of humanitarian aid. He is resigned to his situation.

Settling in an evacuation shelter, he felt like an alien, from being a self-sustaining Mariupolian to becoming a dependent person who relies on help. From having a monthly income he received from the retirement savings package, he is now a recipient of humanitarian aid. He is resigned to his situation.

"I've had enough of this life. I don't need anything more [than resources for survival]. I am grateful that I am still breathing and cheering with the Mariupol people. Many Mariupol people have already gone [died],” he said.

Lost life

Svitlana also tries to stay cheerful, especially as she can engage with children again. The war destroyed not only her home but also the kindergarten school where she had been teaching for 25 years.

“I don't dare to hope I am able to return home and teach again. Everything has turned to ruins," she said.

She said the last time she gained information about the apartment she had lived in was that it had been damaged by bullets and shrapnel. The damage was so severe it was almost impossible to repair the apartment. The complex had several blocks, each consisting of hundreds of residential units.

She has already abandoned hopes of returning to teaching when she was stranded in Zhaporizhzhia, about 227 km northwest of Mariupol. She took refuge there for nearly a month after having been caught in the Mariupol war for almost a month. She and many others left Mariupol, the city she had lived in for decades, after the safe corridor for evacuation was opened.

From Zhaporizhzhia, Svitlana headed to Kyiv. When she heard about YaMariupol, she decided to join as a volunteer. With decades of experience as a kindergarten teacher, she was assigned to the children's care division. Her job is to cheer up the children and help them forget the hardships they must endure in the fledgling stages of their lives.

War trauma

The children under Svitlana’s care are infants to 10-year-olds.

"We help them as much as possible to forget the terrible experience they have been through in the last few months. All of this shouldn't be happening to them," she said.

One of the children who came to Svitlana's study was Elizabeth, 2, accompanied by her father and mother, Anna. She said they had heard about an agency to help Mariupol people in Kyiv.

KOMPAS/HARRY SUSILO

The atmosphere of a city that began to be crowded with residents, in Kyiv City, Ukraine, Wednesday (8/6/2022). The situation in Kyiv City is starting to return to normal although the war is still raging in Ukraine.

“I have come here with no hope. I've only been here once. I saw a room for kids. So, I went in," she said.

She said they had come to rebuild the family’s documentation papers. Evacuating in an emergency situation meant that some documents were lost.

Meanwhile, Valerina said a legal and civil rights assistance desk had been set up with the services including the provision of assistance to the evacuees in recovering copies of various citizen documents. The desk's volunteers communicate the need for their documents to the government.

He said the aid he received would meet at least two weeks' needs.

There is also the psychological and health desk, as well as the food aid desk where Sergei went for groceries. He said the aid he received would meet at least two weeks' needs.

Valerina complained that there was only one psychologist to handle the many people in need of counseling for the trauma impacted by the war.

The war leaves them in a horrifying experience of atrocities they have never imagined for most of their lives. In addition, they have become deprived of the wealth they accumulated over years. Groans of pain, a spill of blood from injured bodies, dead bodies and perilous explosions will be resonating in the minds of the people.

(This article was translated by Musthofid)