After four months in safety in Graz, a Ukrainian family returned home and went to war. What made them do it and what awaits them in their ruined city.
Many Styria have with them trembling. When they sent photos from the basement as bombs fell all around them on their hometown of Chernihiv. As they smiled bravely, just for the picture, to reassure those “outside”; always with the mouth, never with the eyes.
And so many of our readers feared for the family of Oleh Hlazkov, who had chosen to live in Graz, when they managed to escape through the hail of bombs and over mined streets – to the capital of Styria, to white-green safety. Little Darina was able to celebrate her tenth birthday here carefree with Mama Yana, her grandparents. But father was in Ukraine. Here, too, they were afraid of him every minute of the day.
Great longing for the father
After a few months, Oleh’s family is now back. “To be honest, I wasn’t happy about it myself,” admits the man from Graz. “But for now, at least the attacks on Chernihiv have stopped, while the war continues in other parts of the country. And the family wanted to go to the father.”
A ruined place
And came back to the ruined place. “My brother was lucky, his house is still standing, even though the Russians destroyed and took a lot,” says Oleh. “And those who stayed behind tried to plant as much as possible to maintain the food situation.”
Water and electricity are usually available. Darina’s school is badly damaged, but classes continue – when the internet works.
“The prospects are missing”
One would like to say that in such cases one can imagine the atmosphere. But we can’t do that here, where everything is quiet and all food is always available. “A lot of people are very depressed, have no prospects,” Oleh sums up. “It’s all taking too long.”
He calls his mother every day: ‘I often have to trap her. They just had to go back – but that doesn’t mean it was easy for them. Or the situation there would be simple”.
Major Concerns Before Independence Day
August 24, the day on which Ukraine celebrates its independence, is also awaited with great concern. “But they won’t be cheering this year. They will cry.” Especially since violent attacks are expected there.
Source: Krone
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
