Lyudmila Chipinoga

Ludmyla Chypinoga lost her home due to the war but didn’t lose her faith in the kindness of people. Before the full-scale invasion, the 59-year-old woman lived in Kherson. Unfortunately, there is no place for her to return to, as nothing is left of her house. Currently, her home is the “Prykhystok” in Voynyliv.

Her life journey has not been easy. When she was 8 years old, her mother passed away. The girl was left without her dearest person and, from the fourth grade, was raised in a boarding school. It was there that she discovered her passion for ballroom dancing.

With a smile, she recalls her partner Leonid and how she won prizes at competitions. Dancing was her passion, a breath of freedom and joy.

After school, she entered Kherson Medical College and later worked as a nurse at the Kherson Regional Dermatovenereology Dispensary.

Fate led Ludmyla Andriivna to leave medicine and work at the cardan shaft factory. It was during that time that she got married. She met her future husband back in school, where they sat at the same desk.

“It was such a love that even the teachers were amazed. We got married, he went off to study, but he would come back. Soon I got pregnant and had a daughter, but he started distancing himself, visiting less and writing less. Then I found out he had someone else,” – recalls Ludmyla, her eyes filled with tears.

She never remarried and raised her daughter on her own, helping her grow and become independent. Now, Ludmyla is very happy for her daughter, who has married and had a little girl of her own. However, due to the war, her only remaining relatives had to flee to Germany.

For Ludmyla, the invasion was also a nightmare. She lived in a village near Kherson, which the enemy completely destroyed. Her home was bombed, and there was nothing left of it. She was evacuated to Odessa, where she temporarily stayed in a shelter. Later, kind people advised her to move to Vojniv, where she found refuge.

“I feel so good here, it’s like I ended up in paradise. After all the explosions, here it’s peaceful. The staff is wonderful, and the people are so kind and pleasant,” says the woman, unable to hold back her tears.