Ilyena Kamarolena, together with her husband Andrei and their 9-month-old son Bagdan, left Kharkiv on March 4.
When the first bombs fell, they fled to the Zavod Imeni Malysheva metro station. People were sleeping on cots and on the ground, it was getting more crowded every day. Outside, she heard the rocket hits. Sometimes the walls shook. She feared for the safety of her son. Ilyena and her husband made their way to the main train station in Kharkiv.
They were going to take the train to Lviv. When they reached the station, it was impossible to get a seat on the train. It would have taken them days to get out of the city. They decided to escape by car, which they left in front of their house – six metro stations away. It was dark, public transport was not running and there was a curfew.
At the station, the family didn’t want to wait out the morning. So, they set out for the metro tunnels. They walked along the tracks in the dark for hours until they reached the metro station near their home. At their apartment, they had only a few minutes to pack. It took them 6 days by car to reach the Polish border. They had to find a new place to sleep every day. Volunteers helped them to find accommodation in schools, kindergartens or hotel rooms. Ilyena and Bagdan crossed the border into Poland.
They had to say goodbye to Andrej. He stayed behind. He might have to fight. When Ilyena arrived at the Przemyśl train station, Caritas volunteers approached her. They offered to take her to a specially arranged sheltered room for mothers and children. Here, she gets the most necessary things for Bagdan and can eat and rest by herself. Caritas employees are ready with the most important information. She is now waiting for the next train to Wroclaw. From there she would like to continue to Germany – Andrej has relatives in Würzburg
Philipp Spalek for Caritas