Iryna (Ira) Kronik from Kharkov thought the invasion would be short-lived. But as the bombing continued near their home and the Russians might soon be walking the streets, it was clear to her that she had to get her two daughters to safety. The trio left just over a month after the start of the war. It was a long, intense and life-threatening journey, which eventually ended in Huizen.
From one moment to the next, like millions of other Ukrainians, the life of Ira and her family changed. While many compatriots quickly decided to flee, the Kroniks initially remained in Kharkov, despite the daily bombardments. “It was hard to believe what happened,” says the Ukrainian. “Every day we watched the news and we all believed it would end soon.”
But the danger and stress persisted. The bombs kept falling. The explosions were near their house. Especially in the evening and at night it could be very intense. Staying at home was then not an option, a safe place had to be found elsewhere. In the first few weeks, the family hid with many others in the basement of a parking garage.
Just like in Homes
But because conditions were bad in the garage—it was cold and damp—they decided to stay in their apartment building anyway. Together with the neighbours, they sought safety in the hall every day. Despite the sad and dangerous situation outside, this led to great solidarity and helpfulness among the residents inside, Ira recalls. Everyone helped each other with the scarce resources they had left. They looked at each other. “Actually exactly the same as it is now happening here in the shelter in Huizen”, is her conclusion.
At some point it became clear that it was better to flee. For a long time the idea was that Ira would go away alone with her daughter Lera. Mariana, who has several disabilities, was supposed to stay with her father in Kharkiv. There she could stay in her familiar surroundings, while her father could take care of his mother and mother-in-law. Both women are elderly and ill and need care.
How do you flee?
Finally, Ira took the plunge. It was time to flee. The maternal instinct told her to protect her daughters. But how does that flight work? What should you do? Where are you going? There is no handbook for it. And in her case, there was also the question of whether she could cope alone with her twins, one of whom needs a lot of care. Until then, the four of them had always done everything, but her husband, as said, had to stay in Kharkov.
Recognizable fast food restaurant good for Lera
While Mariana had hardly any idea of what was going on, Lera had that awareness. She understood very well the seriousness of the threatening situation in Kharkov, the flight and the long journey. In that respect, the concerns for Ira were actually greater for Lera. It was a very traumatic experience for her. The girl was paralyzed with fear.
But that changed at once. The rigorous turnaround took place at a McDonald’s in Poland, as Ira remembers very well. Once in the fast food restaurant, she was suddenly the old Lera again. The familiar and recognizable decor of the restaurant reminded her of the Mac in Kharkiv. Warm memories surfaced. That was often the place where the family had dinner after they had all been out and done fun things.
She tried to get advice from family, friends and acquaintances about where to go and how to get there. A good answer was not forthcoming. Until she came into contact with a volunteer from Lviv. He said with conviction that Ira should go by train to this Ukrainian city near the border with Poland.
A suitcase
With that ‘assignment’, Ira and her twins left Kharkiv on March 28, 2022. They left with only one suitcase for luggage. It was a long, difficult and even life-threatening journey. Near Kiev, the train was fired upon. This shelling lasted about an hour and a half.
“I didn’t have time to think during the shooting. I got into a survival mood on the train”
Everyone dove to the ground to save themselves except Mariana. The girl, who always walks around with balloons in her hand, was completely unaware of the seriousness of the situation. That she had to take cover at that moment because her life was in danger, did not occur to her at all.
‘To be lucky
Ira went to great lengths to get her onto the floor, after which she lay down on top of her daughter to make sure she was and stayed safe. “I didn’t have time to think at the time,” says Ira. “On the train I got into a survival mood.” She acted purely on intuition. The mind was turned off. And they say they were ‘lucky’ to be in the front car, which didn’t have many passengers.
After more than 24 hours of travel, during which they were bombarded with bullets, they finally arrived in Lviv. They would actually stay there for one day, after which they would immediately continue their journey. But it wasn’t that simple.
Trust strangers
Ira says it was a long, difficult and uncertain process. It took several days and they were always in a different place around Lviv. Although the volunteers took good care of the three, there was fear. “I had to rely on people I didn’t know at all and trust that it would all work out.”
That trust has not been betrayed. Via Poland, Ira, Lera and Mariana ended up in the Netherlands. Here they also stayed in several places until they arrived on April 10 or 11 at the location on Bovenmaatweg in Huizen, where refugees from Ukraine with a disability and their carers are housed.
Especially for Mariana, her new environment took a lot of getting used to. In the first two months she tried many times to walk out of the house to catch the bus back to Ukraine. “She wanted to go home,” Ira explains. She has now reconciled herself to the situation. “But she is still looking for her father every day, even though she sees him every day on the phone, but that is something different than being able to cuddle with him.”
Olympiad
Now, almost a year later, everything is going well with her and her children, says Ira. Lera will soon graduate and hopes to go to university here in the Netherlands. She is a very smart young woman, said a proud mother. For example, she will soon be going to Poland to participate in the Olympiad in computer science.
And Mariana is also doing much better. Thanks to other medication, her health has improved and she goes to Sherpa’s day center three times a week. At first Ira went along, because she never leaves her daughter’s side. Now that she knows that Mariana feels like a fish in the water there and is well taken care of, Ira even has some time for herself. That is a luxury she is not used to.
Every day this week we visit the reception location on Bovenmaatweg, which has been there for over a year now. NH News talks to the residents and the people who work there in order to record the special stories. The story of Ira and her two daughters is now the fourth in this series, which will run until Sunday.