A new life under the frontline sky
In the small village of Kozacha Lopan, just a few kilometres from the border, Olha once lived a quiet life. She worked, made plans, and shared a home with her big family. But that peace was shattered on the morning of February 24, 2022, when Russian tanks rolled down her street at 8 a.m.
“I woke up to explosions,” she recalls. “I stepped outside and saw war. Military convoys, strangers’ faces, fear. The power went out. We lost connection. And soon after, I felt like I lost part of myself too.”
The occupation came fast and lasted for half a year. People were disappearing. Shells continued flying over from the direction of the border. Cucumbers were ripening in the yard, while explosions rumbled nearby. Their large family: mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, aunt and brother, all lived under one roof, silently harvesting crops and trying to survive.
The moment of liberation
September 11, 2022. A date Olha will never forget.
“The Russians were panicking. At 5 a.m., the last Russian tank left the village. We couldn't believe our eyes,” – woman says.
The very next day, Olha, her aunt and cousin fled to Kharkiv. Her mother and grandmothers stayed behind to protect what remained of their home, with its windows shattered and boarded with plywood.
A new life, a new Olha
Today, Olha is 28 and lives in the frontline town of Derhachi with her baby daughter, who was born after she fled the occupation. Olha resumed her job in the same role she held before the war. She is a forensic medical expert. But things are harder now: rent, utilities, raising a child on her own. She also helps her mother, who still lives in a destroyed house back in Kozacha Lopan.
Small help, big relief
When neighbors told her about the humanitarian aid from ASB Ukraine, she didn’t hesitate. She simply came and received a package. “There were no issues whatsoever. The assistance itself was high-quality, timely and necessary. Oil, flour, hygiene products. Thanks to this aid, I have saved several thousand hryvnias in just a month. And that’s enough to pay for a roof over our heads,” says Olha.
“We are not forgotten”
“When you are alone with your child under the frontline sky, every good action counts. This help was a sign that you are not alone. Someone, far away or close by, is thinking of you,” says Olha.
This support has not only eased Olha’s daily struggles but also reminded her that families living under the frontline sky are not forgotten. The humanitarian aid allowed her to redirect financial resources toward rent and childcare, proving that even small assistance can have a profound impact. These were more than food and hygiene items for Olha, that was a sign of solidarity and reassurance that her life and her daughter’s future matter.
ASB Ukraine extends its sincere gratitude to the donor Aktion Deutschland Hilft for the financial support of the project «Emergency assistance to severely conflict-affected people in frontline areas of Kharkiv and Donetsk oblasts and IDPs residing in Central regions (Khmelnytskyi Oblast) of Ukraine».
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