Ukrainian girl shared her experience of living in occupation and evacuation at a speech in The Hague
A young student from Oleshky shared her experience of living under Russian occupation, evacuating to Kyiv, and speaking in The Hague as a representative of the charity foundation “Voices of Children”.
The girl, whose name is not mentioned for security reasons, spent two challenging years in Kyiv, studying psychology and working as a cashier to finance her studies. Before moving to the capital of Ukraine, she lived in Oleshky, a city under Russian occupation. Together with her family, she had to evacuate due to constant shelling that disrupted their daily life in their hometown.
The decision to leave came after another shelling when their home had its windows blown out by an explosion wave. The evacuation was a difficult ordeal lasting several days, with numerous checkpoints, interrogations, and “filtering”. Despite various challenges, the girl managed to adapt to life in Kyiv, but she holds onto the hope of returning home.
In December of last year, she spoke in The Hague, representing the “Voices of Children” foundation. In her speech, she emphasized that the life of children in conditions of war and occupation is not normal, and society must be aware of it. This was her first international experience, which even though a long-cherished childhood dream remains in memories, helped to convey the voices of children suffering due to military conflicts to the world.
During her time in Kyiv, the girl matured, learned independence and self-care, but the desire to return home remains paramount.
| Event location | Oleshky, Kherson region |
| Key stages | Life in occupation, evacuation, adaptation in Kyiv |
| Foundation participation | Charity foundation “Voices of Children” |
| Speech in The Hague | Raising awareness about children’s issues in war conditions |
