Lidiia Moriakovska

Lidiia Moriakovska is 93 years old. She is the oldest resident of the shelter. And she was one of the first to arrive in Ivano-Frankivsk region from the city of Novohrodivka in Donetsk Oblast back in November 2023.

“It’s so heartbreaking that such an elderly person had to flee in the twilight of her life from those she had considered a brotherly nation all her life,” says shelter worker Nadiia Nakonechna with sadness. “When I first saw her, I felt so sorry for her — she reminded me of my late mother: small in stature, lost in a strange home, disoriented in time. War doesn’t choose — it shatters lives, whether they are innocent children and women or the frail and ill.”

The long journey became a serious challenge for the elderly woman. Just a week after her arrival, her condition suddenly worsened—she developed a fever, grew weak, refused to eat, and became bedridden. Following a referral from the family doctor, the shelter staff hospitalized her, and doctors fought for her life. Unfortunately, such hospitalizations were not rare, as age, malnutrition, and exhaustion during the first year of the war before her relocation had taken a toll on Ms. Lidiia’s health. Yet, thanks to the dedicated care of social workers, she managed to recover each time and fight off her illnesses.

Ms. Lidiia has relatives living in Russia, but sadly, not a single one of them has ever asked how she is doing—or even whether she is still alive. The only person who cared about her fate was a social worker who had visited her in Novohrodivka before the war.

At the shelter, everyone treats Ms. Lidiia with deep respect. They call her “grandmother,” and she always politely thanks everyone for their kindness and patience, for the help and support they provide. Still, there are moments when she doesn’t even realize where she is. She often asks when it’s time for her to go home and pleads with people not to forget her home address.

This longing for home and the dream of returning lives in the heart of every shelter resident. And the sorrow in Ms. Lidiia’s eyes is a quiet, undeniable proof of that.