We visited a village in the Mykolaiv region. It was under occupation from the end of February to November 11, 2022. Local residents lived under the tyranny of the Russian invaders for almost 9 months, without light, heat, communication and access to medical care.
We were met by a family where Dmytro, an 11-year-old boy with diabetes, is growing up. Most of all, what frightened Dmytro’s parents during the occupation was the lack of access to medicines and fear for the life of their son. The father said that he was not so much afraid of the sounds of shelling as of his son’s fainting from lack of insulin.
Dmytro is quite a positive and active child. He remains optimistic, despite the incurable disease and the lack of any benefits of civilization. He said: «Yes, it was scary, I could not sleep because of the explosions, I constantly had nightmares, but I believed that one day it would all end. When rockets flew over our house, I covered my ears with my hands and opened my mouth, as father taught me, and I hoped that it would save me.»
At the moment, there are only 50 inhabitants left in the village. The school where Dmytro studied has been closed for a long time. But the boy continues to study, despite all the obstacles.
Dmytro dreams that his own house will have electricity and Internet again. He is eager to explore the world and wants to have access to communications. The boy also wants sweets, but understands that it will make him feel bad, and he should not upset his parents. Dmytro really wants to return to his school and see his school friends who have been evacuated.
The boy has grown up very early. He knows a lot about weapons. He tells what the mines he saw in his native village look like.
There are a lot of children like Dmytro in Ukraine. Their childhood was stolen by russian invaders. They do not have access to medical and public services, and do not have the opportunity to study at school. These children became adults too early. It was not their choice. They were forced to learn military skills to survive.
There are children who will remain invalids because of the shelling. Many more children lost their parents. They will never be able to hug their father, who died for the freedom of the Motherland, for the sake of their future. And these children will never forget why they did not have a happy childhood, why they had to sit in basements and stay away from windows. But they will grow up to be real warriors and defenders and will continue the struggle of their parents.
Olga Kurshevska, photo from the deoccupied territory of Mykolaiv region
