Svetlana Berezhnyova

85-year-old Svitlana is originally from the town of Selydove in Donetsk region. When the active combat began, her house was destroyed by the enemy, and she had to leave her homeland and move to Pokrovsk.

But even there, life was not peaceful. Svitlana Kyrylivna settled in a rented one-room apartment on the seventh floor and was in constant stress, living through war for the second time.

She recalls her childhood with sadness. She never knew her father, as he went off to fight and never returned. She was raised by her mother.

“I didn’t know what childhood was like, those were hard times — we lived in basements where there was neither water nor bread. During my youth, my mother worked on the collective farm from dawn to dusk, so I used to carry milk to sell at the market to have something to pay the taxes,” she recalls.

At school, Ms. Svitlana was a good student. After growing up, she worked as a caregiver and teacher. She always strived for development and disliked staying in one place, so she dedicated a lot of time to learning.

Ms. Svitlana arrived at the shelter in March 2024. The Pokrovsk area was one of many that the enemy was intensively attacking. Concerned people, as they were leaving, couldn’t leave the elderly woman alone in a dangerous city, so they took her with them. And now, for over 9 months, she has been grateful for the peaceful days and a roof over her head.

“I am grateful to God for bringing me into the hands of these people. I survived one war, I thought it would be enough, but fate said — you will survive another one. Here, many people no longer have a home, so the shelter has become our second, no less beloved home.”

Despite her difficult life journey, Svitlana Berezhnova remains optimistic and believes that Ukraine’s victory is just around the corner.