The city of Zaporizhzhya in Ukraine is surrounded by Russian troops. About 70 percent of the state is under Russian occupation. From Melitopol to Bardiansk, the Russian flag is waving over the cities. The sound of explosions is heard here at regular intervals.
In this exclusive report, India Today talks to refugees in Zaporizhzhya as they tell their stories of fleeing their homes and living in a bunker.
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Taratanya, 68, keeps watching the horrifying scenes on her mobile. She is watching a video of the deadly phosphorus bomb which is banned in the international world. Clip of burning embers raining from the sky. Fear fills his eyes. She wonders what will happen to their village, or to their friends.
Tertanya, 68, a resident of Hulyapol, a town near Zaporizhzhya in Ukraine. (Photo: India Today)
“They started bombarding them with these phosphorus bombs when I had already left the city and I didn’t see them myself, but I was sent video and message from confirmed sources. Some people are still there, my The daughter’s husband’s parents are still there. They decided to stay and they sit in the basement with 30 people. My best friend is still there. I was talking to her yesterday and asked her to leave town immediately. asked for,” she said.
His village is 70 km from Zaporizhzhya. She never thought that her village would be bombed because there is no military base, but she was wrong.
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Even when the missiles started falling on the village, she did not leave the house. She remained alone in the basement for three weeks, despite suffering from kidney ailment.
When asked why she didn’t leave her city at once, she said, “I thought I would protect my house, my land, my building. I thought it would stop soon. My kids ran away because They have small kids. They told me to go with them but I didn’t. They went with their cousins in their private car. I said I would stay, my daughter was calling me and crying and then she Found me to leave the other car.”
“It was hell”
Recalling his experience, Yugan, who fled from Mariupol, said that it was impossible to escape from all areas of Russian occupation.
Eugan said, “I will thank this car, this car was my life. I drove with my family for four days and passed 30 checkpoints along the way. It was hell.”
Yugan, a resident of Mariopol. (Photo: India Today)
Mariupol has suffered the most devastation at the hands of the Russians. Eugan said there was no fear now. He had seen the scene of death, the sound of bullets, all this.
He spent several days in a bunker before arriving in Zaporizhzhya with four family members. Although his father remained in the village.
He said, “I have left my father in my village. I want to move to Germany with my family but my 11-year-old daughter Maria loves her home the most. She left everything except a bag and this doll. gave.” ,
11-year-old Maria from Mariopol. (Photo: India Today)
“Please stop the war in Ukraine!”
Maria said, “This doll was presented to me when I was in Melitopol. I was really happy. My friends are still there and they can’t leave the village. All human corridors are closed and it’s very difficult to go by car.” Please stop the war in Ukraine!”
Maria recalls that one day when they returned home, they found their house was broken into and there were pieces of glass everywhere. The door was open and everything was in disarray. Maria’s mother Olena was a school teacher.
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He said, “We were not at home and when we came back we saw the window of the house was broken. How could the Russian army do that? They could have waited for us, I don’t know. They took the cups. Our house The opposite was true. How can they do all this?”
11-year-old Maria plays with her doll. (Photo: India Today)
From that day on, Olena started worrying about her daughter. She got scared, she stopped eating and drinking. She started looking for a way to escape from the village.
Olenna said, “Ultimately we decided to leave because our territory was occupied and still is. Russian military units and vehicles were passing through our village. We could hear all this thunder and we were scared. I had my hands down, I was distracted. I didn’t know what it was. I didn’t want to eat or drink anything. We couldn’t decide for so long to leave but we got the idea that we were all alone The people around us were sympathetic to us, helping us. But we were not safe. We had no security, the people around were armed. We decided to go far away where we would not be attacked. Used to be.”
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