How a Ukrainian refugee fled war torn Europe to reach Darlington

As weeks passed, food and water ran low and the family knew they would have to flee if they wanted to live.  

“We understood that our city would not be liberated in the near future, but it was still so difficult to make the decision to leave,” Nadiia says.

“It is our land, we are proud of our city and we wanted to stay but we could not live under Russian rule.”

The 22-year-old and her family waited for the Government to announce an evacuation route from their city, Melitopol.

“We closely followed every step the Government announced but ensuring the security of evacuation corridors from uncontrolled territories across the front line was very difficult.

“We heard stories of the Russians firing upon the cars of those trying to escape occupied cities and that risk made us fearful of trying to escape ourselves.”

Read more: The four words I woke my parents with when war broke out

By the time an official evacuation corridor opened, the Russians had reportedly turned off electricity and communications supplies in Melitopol, leaving residents struggling to access information.

The local fire station became a meeting point for those who wanted to leave, and Nadiia’s family took turns to go there every day to await news.

Nadiia Honcharenko

Readying themselves to leave, they prepared their scant supplies, made sure their car was roadworthy and sorted through their treasured possessions.

Unable to carry with them all of their precious photographs, they held an evening of memories, sharing anecdotes and childhood stories as they looked through a lifetime of snaps.

“After that, we left all of the albums behind, it was too difficult to choose which to take.

“We hope we will be able to return one day for them.”

Read more: 'The first days of war seemed endless'

Soon after, a convoy of six buses and more than 500 cars pulled into the city, signalling the start of an evacuation process that became one of the most stressful moments in Nadiia’s life.

Unable to fit into one car, the family were separated. Nadiia, her sister and her sister’s boyfriend piled into a car with a family friend while their parents were in another.

As the convoy began to move, a “stampede” began, Nadiia says.

In the chaos, she lost sight of her parents’ car and did not know if they’d managed to escape.

She was eventually reunited with them at a Russian checkpoint – the eighth out of 15 the convoy had to pass through.

“This meant 15 separate searches of phones, which we’d already cleared of content they might have been angry about and endless checks of food, the car and our bags.

“We were all scared and there was shooting at many checkpoints.

“Along the way we saw a lot of broken military equipment and heard many explosions.”

Russian soldiers eventually stopped the convoy for the night at a rural petrol station, where travellers were forbidden to use their phones, turn on lights or leave their cars – “shooting would follow”.

Bombs fell around them, the flare from explosions lighting up the cars as occupants watched in fear.

“I thought we would be shot,” says Nadiia, “and by the morning, our only hope was that we would leave that place alive.

“The night in the car was terrible, especially for my disabled grandfather who endured significant pain.

“There was no food or water as the Russians had taken everything.”

The next part of the journey saw the convoy travel to the frontline, where it quickly became a target.

“One car came under fire and ours broke down between a burned tank and a bombed car.

“Good people helped to push it and start the engine, despite knowing getting out of their car was a huge risk.”

The terrifying final leg of the journey took them through “fields between fires” but eventually, they emerged in Ukrainian territory.

“We met Ukrainian soldiers with tears of happiness.

“We simply couldn’t believe we were seeing the Ukrainian flag and all felt such great relief.

“People came out of their houses to meet us, putting bread and water into our cars.

“Everyone welcomed us and the worst was over.”

Nadiia is writing from her adopted home in Darlington, where she has been living with Durham University professor Nicole Westmarland since May.

“Since arriving, many people have asked me about my country, the war, my personal history,” she says.

“It is only in the moments where I can share my story and tell the world about the war that I feel useful.”

Read next:

• Ukrainian refugees homeless just months after arriving in the North East
• Homes for Ukraine: when arrangements go wrong
• The sisters from Ukraine who are making their home in Darlington