Sergiy Lutcenko

“War is a sorrow that separates loved ones,” says the coordinator of the Shelter, Ivanna Dmitruk, as she supports Serhiy Lutsenko with a hand on his shoulder.

Serhiy is 64 years old and arrived from Kharkiv region in early spring of 2024. By profession, he is a welder, having studied at a vocational school in Luhansk region, and after graduation, he worked in Sloviansk.

He says his life hasn’t turned out very well. He wasn’t able to start a family, even though he always dreamed of it. What he remembers the most is his mother, her love, and maternal care. She was always by his side.

His mother took care of him, and her help and support were especially important when Serhiy suffered frostbite on his hands and feet. He had to endure the amputation of the phalanges of his fingers and toes. Serhiy now has a disability status.

After his mother passed away, his sister took care of him. However, unfortunately, the war separated them. His sister’s daughters lived in Russia, and when the war began, they offered for them to come and live with them. For a while, the brother and sister hid in shelters along with other people from Kharkiv, but with each passing day, it became more dangerous to stay there.

His sister went to her daughters, but Serhiy categorically refused to go with her. His love for his homeland, for Ukraine, overcame his fear of the unknown and death.

“Before leaving, my sister, not wanting to leave me stranded, started looking for different shelters,” Serhiy recalls. “And I’m grateful to her for finding the contact information of this particular shelter and arranging my stay here. What struck me the most was the compassionate attitude towards people, especially the elderly. The residents of western Ukraine have a lot of faith and hope in God, and they teach us that. Here, we pray every day for peace, for victory, and for our soldiers. I especially enjoy when Father Yaroslav Antoniv, the local priest, comes to us for prayer and fellowship. We never had that at home.”

Serhiy no longer communicates with his sister, but he has found a friendly environment at the shelter, where he feels comfortable and at home. He tries to be helpful, assisting both the residents and the staff of the shelter. He dreams of victory, hoping to return home and perhaps, finally, create a family.