Thread by @ukraine_world

The story of Kateryna Markova from Zaporizhzhya, who evacuated from her hometown with her little son. #UkraineWorldTestimony 1/12

Even before the full-scale Russian invasion, Kateryna Markova's family knew that there would be an attack, so they were looking for ways to get their little son Markian out in advance. 2/12

On February 21, Kateryna bought tickets to Antalya for herself, her mother, and her son. To save $100, she bought tickets for February 24, not February 22. They wanted to believe that this trip would be just quick getaway to somewhere warm. 3/12

On the night of February 24, Kateryna and her husband Taras drank wine, watched an episode of Ozark, and went to bed quite late at around 2 am. Their things were packed. 4/12

"At 4 am, Marik woke up and just spun for an hour and a half. I just hugged him, desperately wanting to sleep, because I had to wake up early and go to the airport. Looking ahead-since then, I always look at the news when my son suddenly wakes up at night," Kateryna recalls. 5/12

At 7 am, her mother called her and said in a trembling voice: "Katya, baby, did you see the news? We won’t make it [to the airport - ed.]."

Kateryna opened the news in shock, and woke up Taras, telling him "We have been attacked, and the whole country is being bombed". 6/12

Like all Zaporizhzhya residents, they feared above all that the Russians would bomb the Dnipro Hydroelectric Station. Their house is literally next to it. Therefore, the family decided to move to their relatives’ house on the right bank of the Dnipro with a good basement. 7/12

They stayed in that crowded basement for two weeks. Kateryna spent the nights with her son only in the basement. They hardly saw Taras at that point, because he was helping the Ukrainian military. 8/12

Kateryna and her family made their first attempt to leave on March 5, after the seizure of the Zaporizhzhya NPP. Half of Zaporizhzhya left at that point. 9/12

But in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, the family was stuck in a terrible traffic jam, and it was simply impossible to find a room to sleep in. There was overnight frost, not enough fuel, and panic all over the country. Kateryna went crazy and made the call to turn back. 10/12

This ended up being the right decision, because when Kateryna, her mother, and her son made their second attempt on March 9, the highway was practically empty. They did not know where they were going. Simply to the West of the country. 11/12

In Uman, Kateryna asked her followers on Instagram to help her family find shelter. She got a response from a woman named Ulyana, who offered them an entire empty house in a village in Ternopil Oblast.

The full article is on our website ➡️ ukraineworld.org/articles/stori… 12/12