‘They have nothing left... Everything is destroyed’: Ukrainian woman living in Cork describes impact of invasion on family and friends

A UKRAINIAN woman living in Crosshaven has described how it feels to watch her country being bombarded by Russian forces.

Tetyana Buhera Rudavets’ mother fled their hometown in recent days and has come to Ireland.

Her brother has stayed behind to volunteer as a civilian fighter.

“The news is just horrible. You read that a bomb fell, a missile was sent to a school,” said Tetyana.

“The hospitals in Kharkiv, which has been heavily bombed, were all moved underground. It’s just so, so, hard.

“It’s heartbreaking. It’s so difficult to understand why this is happening,” she said.

The mother of two moved to Cork with her husband and children six years ago to escape the conflict that began in eastern Ukraine between Russian-backed separatists and the Ukrainian military in 2014.

“My company moved me to Ireland because of the war which started in 2014. We decided it wasn’t safe for the kids and unfortunately, six years later, it’s still not good,” Tetyana told The Echo.

Tetyana’s sons are aged 11 and 17 — young enough, she says, that they can be shielded from the news, but old enough to tell that their family is heartbroken.

“Thankfully, they don’t really understand much,” Tetyana said.

“They keep busy with their hurling and basketball and school. They don’t need to worry about all of this, it’s enough that we are upset,” she said. “And my mother is here now also.”

Guilt about leaving Ukraine 

Tetyana’s mother arrived in Cork on Monday after crossing the border into Poland to meet Tetyana’s husband, who flew with her to Ireland.

Her mother, aged 63, has been suffering from headaches, depression, and has a chest infection from being outside for so long while crossing the border.

“She has a lot of guilt about leaving Ukraine. She feels like she might be useful there but I told her that she can be useful here,” Tetyana said.

“We are all part of a volunteer team and are arranging collections of items to be sent to Poland.

“We have a warehouse in Little Island and have sent two trucks off already.”

One of the main worries the family has is for Tetyana’s brother, who stayed behind in Ukraine to fight. He is 37, with a partner and children of his own. The siblings call each other every day and Tetyana said that he is safe for now. His city underwent an air alarm drill yesterday to test how well they can shelter from the bombs they know are soon coming.

“He is very eager and willing to fight. He’s waiting to be called but the number of people who want to go and fight is overwhelming. There isn’t enough ammunition or bulletproof vests or helmets for them all,” Tetyana said.

“He said the streets are full of armed military . They’re trying to keep the streets safe but there are a lot of Russian men pretending to be Ukrainian. If you don’t know somebody, there’s a good chance that they’re not the good guy.

“But he says that he feels confident that they can do whatever is needed. The only thing is the air attacks. He says that you can protect yourself if you can see somebody on the ground, but you don’t know when a bomb is going to fall and where. You’re so helpless.”

Friends still trying to flee 

Tetyana has friends who are still trying to flee the country. One friend is currently in a shelter in Hungary. A day after they left their farm in eastern Ukraine, it was bombed, she said.

“Everything was destroyed, their whole life. They have nothing, just a small bag of documents. There is nothing to go back to for anyone,” Tetyana said.

“I know of a train leaving Kyiv where there wasn’t enough room for the mothers so they sent the children on their own. By the time some of those children reached Poland, they were already orphans.”

Tetyana could tell similar stories for hours but sometimes, she said, she needs to take a break.

“Sometimes you have to just stop for a little while. I took a walk yesterday because the headache was just too big and I needed fresh air. You can get yourself into a depression otherwise,” she said.

“Here in Ireland, it’s easy to look up and see the blue sky and switch off. But there’s someone out there who is looking up from a basement, and they have no way to switch off.”

Though she does not think the war will come to a halt anytime soon, Tetyana does share the sentiment many Ukrainians hold right now: She couldn’t be prouder of her people.

“The negotiations going on are a waste of time. Putin doesn’t want anything but to destroy the country,” she said.

“But Ukrainian people without any arms are trying to stop tanks. Even the elderly are building homemade explosives. Every single person that is Ukrainian is trying to contribute.

“The nation is united like never before. Every person, every political party is one, and that’s so motivating.

“I think the world recognises how much courage the Ukrainians have shown.”