The baby's family lived in the village of Kamianka, which is 6 kilometers from Izyum. Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion of the enemy, their settlement has been in the buffer zone of constant fire. Veronika's grandmother, Lyudmila, remembers that time with pain:
"It's animal fear... At any moment you can just collapse. Constant shelling both day and night... It's when it's impossible to leave the yard, because everything around is under fire... from tanks, from grenade launchers, automatic rounds , from mortars... When planes are constantly flying and bombs are falling.
When everything is destroyed... It is impossible to buy food or medicine."
Since February 29, the family has been left without electricity, gas and communication. They actually sat in the dark and cold in the cellar with the child until March 10. "We didn't know what was happening at all... The emotions of these days cannot be conveyed..." - says Lyudmila.
Most of all, parents and grandmother were worried about little Veronichka. In order to somehow survive, the girl's father, Dmytro, made a kind of tile in the basement. So the family could at least heat water and make tea or porridge.
At that time, the peaceful inhabitants of Izyum left their homes and entire farms en masse, as they could, in order to survive. And the injured, abandoned animals roamed the village: cows, pigs, chickens... Many of them came under fire and were just lying along the road.
"Our four-legged friend, the shepherd, like the others, first barked as soon as he heard the planes approaching... And then the poor animal also just howled and ran away..."
The shelling never stopped, so risking their lives, the family with a dog still dared to leave. They came to Ivano-Frankivsk without funds, without belongings, and in fact without clothes...
Having listened to the advice of acquaintances, the family turned to our partner hub. Volunteers provided the family with social packages, necessary things, clothes and, no less important, mental encouragement.
After the liberation of Izyum and the surrounding territories, it turned out that the family was not destined to return home... According to the military, the house was damaged during the firing of phosphorus bombs.
The family has now found housing, Veronika's grandmother was able to return to work, and her father became a volunteer and rescues Ukrainians from hot spots.
"Sometimes I worry about him quite a lot, but we believe that together we will be able to overcome all this..." said Lyudmila and found the strength to smile.
It is difficult to realize how to live on, having lost everything... But the main thing is that now the family is safe and does not lose heart. Seeing the smile of Ludmila after everything she's been through, we understand one thing: there will be Ukraine! With God in the heart - it will be.
