Georgiy Pidmohyl’nyi

Georgiy Pidmohylnyi is 81 years old. He lived under occupation for 8 months. He lost his hearing, and his vision worsened. But his memory remains intact: he remembers everything very clearly.

Mr. Georgiy is originally from the Kherson region, from the village of Ivankivka, located by the Dnipro River. The village was right on the front line at that time.

“One night there was a heavy shelling. And some higher power seemed to whisper to me, ‘Ivanovych, get out of here,'” says the man. “So at 5 in the morning, I packed up and walked to the neighboring village on foot. My bag with the essentials was ready. That’s what our military taught us. And if I hadn’t left that night, I would have died.”

The man can only see with his left eye, and the right one has a prosthesis. He developed glaucoma in that eye, and due to the occupation of Kherson, there were no medicines or the possibility to visit a doctor. After the city was liberated, it was already too late — the eye was so severely damaged that it had to be removed. The second eye was saved after surgery.

He also has hearing problems and is deaf in both ears. Hearing aids were provided here, in Ivano-Frankivsk.

Mr. Heorhiy was never married. But he loved. And he loved only one woman all his life. It was a tragic love story; everything was leading up to a wedding, but it was not meant to be. His fiancée died in a car accident. He struggled immensely with the loss.

“She appeared in my dreams until I was 60. Can you imagine? And only around the age of 70 did I start to think that maybe I should have gotten married. I don’t drink, I don’t smoke, I would have been a good husband,” sighs Mr. Heorhiy. 

Her name was Tetyana, and they worked together at the factory. One day, Mr. Heorhiy went into the workshop to see his friend. And there she was.

“She was a blonde, with blue eyes. Not tall, wearing an apron, checking the parts. And her voice! It simply enchanted me,” says the man. “I fell in love at first sight.”

And this strong feeling the man carried throughout his entire life. The only thing that can bring tears to his eyes now is the memory of his beloved’s death and the war crimes of the occupiers.

“I am very grateful to the staff of the Shelter for their kindness. I arrived here with nothing. They gave me shoes, clothes, and even more clothes than I needed,” says the man.