Friends among their own: how the whole world helps an evacuated large family in the DPR
Seven-year-old Polina hardly smiles and holds tightly the teddy bear that was given to her. Until recently, she, along with her parents, brothers, sister and grandmother, hid from shelling in the basement of her home. Now the family lives in a temporary accommodation facility in Yasinovataya. Here they were greeted like relatives: they collected clothes and toys, arranged for the younger children to go to school, helped with documents, and even organized a party for Polina's birthday. Now they are looking for a separate house for the family. But they themselves dream of returning to their native Alekseevka, where they still have a farm and a former life. How a large family was saved from the attacks of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and how it learns to live anew in a new place — in the material of Izvestia.
Seven selves without a grandfather
The younger Polina turned seven the other day. There are balloons in the room, board games, an alphabet book, shiny shoes, an umbrella, paints, two balls, a big teddy bear, which she constantly hugs, as if hiding in it.
The younger Polina saw something that should not be seen
And Polina smiles a little and is silent a lot. The look is tired, turned inward.
"She saw things that shouldn't be seen,— Katya's mom explains with a sigh. And he tries not to go into details.
The Ivanov family (surname changed) is from the village of Alekseevka, which is 9 km from the border with the Dnipropetrovsk region. They lived on earth. They kept cows. They had 14 hectares of land and sowed wheat, barley, corn, and sunflower.
— And they weren't going anywhere, they just wanted to go there. And now we do. Yesterday I had a tantrum, and in the evening I tell my friends, "Do whatever you want, but take me home. I'm going to walk!" says Ekaterina. — We're staying there with all our thoughts…
Now the family lives in the PVR, they are looking for a house for them.
Actually, the woman explains, there should have been eight of them. I miss my grandfather. Two months ago, he was seriously injured — his arm was torn off. The military took him to the rear in a "stable serious condition." What happened next is unknown. He may be in the hospital. It is possible that the evacuation group came under fire.
The eldest daughter, Sophia— is fifteen. Energetic, lively, all grown up. The eldest son Ruslan is twelve. Looking like a peasant, he forgot how to read due to stress. The youngest Vanya is eight. My dad's name is Alexey, he used to work as a metallurgist and tractor driver, and recently, due to the threat of forced mobilization, he worked as a watchman and went into hiding. Grandma Irina, along with her grandfather, was the main one in the farming field.
The hunt for husbands and children
The last two years have been a difficult ordeal for the family. At first, the Ukrainian Armed Forces were stationed in the village along with foreign mercenaries.
— In one house, not far from us, there were Americans, about a dozen people, and a Ukrainian translator girl with them, - says grandmother Irina. — In another case, the Colombians, they liked to dress in fur coats. For a month and a half, both of them lived in the village, then they moved somewhere.
As the contact line approached, the main threat was the "child catchers" — representatives of the SBU, as well as the organization "White Angel", who were responsible for the evacuation of minors, including forced. I had to hide and hide, and be constantly on the lookout. One day, after a warning from friends — "They'll come tomorrow, run!" — they managed to take the children to a neighboring village to visit relatives, returned home, and the lock on the door was torn off, all things turned over. Soon the same "hunters" appeared, talked rudely, threatened. We arrived the next day, and on the third, and on the fourth. We were on duty at the gate, waiting.
Photo of a damaged house in his native Alekseevka
Another problem was the shopping mall.
— Alexey went to work early in the morning and came back in the dark. Or even stayed overnight at the boarding house," the women say. — The TCC came to people regularly, climbed underground, attics, sheds, searched. And, unfortunately, they were often found and taken away. One day we come home, and there are four big guys on the doorstep.: "Where's the father?!" We answer: "We live without him, we ourselves..." They began to swear and swear. They said, "We'll find it anyway!" and then they came back ten times.
Wearing helmets and body armor
The Russian army recaptured the village in June 2025. The red flag was raised.
There are only 22 people left in Alekseevka (there used to be 400). The Ivanovs lived side by side with the Russian military. Grandma Ira baked bread and tortillas for them, and brought them fresh milk. The fighting rolled back, there was relative silence, the children even rode bicycles. But in 2026, everything resumed with renewed vigor. Violent attacks began — drones, artillery, missiles. The family moved to the basement. My grandfather was injured in the summer. At the same time, Sophia was concussed.
Grandmother Irina, in Alekseevka with her missing grandfather, kept cows and farmed
The fighters warned: "If Baba Yaga arrives, leave! They won't rest until they leave the burnt-out field in place of the yard." And a copter with the name of a scary fairy-tale character arrived. They literally ran out of the fire.
First, we moved to the basement of the military. We waited three days for an opportunity to leave. This was followed by the evacuation, which Katya's mother and the others prefer not to remember once again — there is too much pain. One of the pictures that I had to witness was the torn bodies of those with whom I shared an underground shelter yesterday.
They took the documents and icons with them.
They went out in helmets and bulletproof vests, including children. The younger Polina and Vanya had helmets pulled over their eyes so that they wouldn't see what was around them, so that they wouldn't have it for the rest of their lives. But unfortunately, everyone saw everything. Polina vomited for several days after that.
The Ivanovs were evacuated to Yasinovataya. They posted it in the PVR. In case of possible admission of a large family, the management of the point had prepared a separate room in advance.
Like hedgehogs
The first days of Ivanov were like hedgehogs — prickly, distrustful, wary, Natalia Filippova, a social activist and volunteer from Yasinovataya, shares with me. As it turned out, they were afraid that the children would be taken away.…
Local residents immediately began to bring clothes, dishes, groceries, and basic necessities. Little Polina somehow grabbed Natalia, who showed affection to her, and whispered: "Aunt, I really like bananas, remember!.."
There was a big birthday party for Polina at the PVR
All seven of them were taken to a city beauty salon and paid for their haircuts. The district administration helped Polina and Vanya get into the first grade of Yasinovatsky school No. 1. Polina has already managed to take part in a skit dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the Khomut steppe (a botanical reserve in the Novoazovsky district of the DPR). However, studies are difficult — unfortunately, there is no knowledge. 12-year-old Ruslan is assigned to individual training.
Twelve-year-old Ruslan, has forgotten how to read due to stress
The eldest daughter said she would like to study to be a cook. She used to see herself as a nurse in the future, but after her grandfather was wounded in front of her, she became afraid of blood and realized:He won't become a doctor. The other day, the leadership of the Yasinovatsky multidisciplinary College sent a letter to the Ministry of Education of the DPR with a request to allocate an additional quota for the girl for free education. If you receive a positive response, Sonya will start studying in the fall.
Mother Ekaterina and grandmother Irina have received Russian passports, Alexey is processing them. They are going to get a job, and there are already offers. There is also a search for housing for them — a separate house.
The eldest Sofia, will be studying to be a cook
According to Yasinovatsky activists who take part in the fate of the Ivanovs, it is very important to show now that they are not alone, not abandoned, not left to themselves. It is necessary to surround them with support, comfort, and show them that they are among their own.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
