“If you stay, I will stay too, Grandma”: A Family’s Journey from Dobropillia
Every day, hundreds of people from frontline areas arrive at the Pavlohrad transit point. Their lives, once peaceful, have been shattered by russia’s attacks. In their eyes, you can see both the weight of exhaustion and the glimmer of hope for a new beginning. Among them is Tetiana from Dobropillia, her daughter, granddaughter Kira, and their two beloved pets.
“I’ve been urging my children for years to leave and build a better life, leaving me here,” Tetiana says, tears streaming down her face. “I’ve spent my whole life in this town. My relatives are buried here. Every corner is familiar. I couldn’t imagine leaving it all behind…”
But after the massive shelling in Dobropillia this July, fear became impossible to ignore. “We’ve already lost one grandmother of my granddaughter Kira back in March during the shelling. She died,” Tetiana recalls.
The final decision came from the granddaughter.
“If you stay, I will stay too, Grandma,” said 16-year-old Kira. Those words gave Tetiana the courage to leave.
Evacuating was not easy—they could not imagine leaving without their pets. Their puppy, Kylie, and their cat, Sima, came along. But Tetiana had one more beloved companion—an elderly dog who had never left the yard. She feared for his safety during the journey. The 12 Vartovykh Charity Fund team stepped in, organizing a separate evacuation and temporarily placing the dog in a safe shelter.
“We would never have left her behind. Once we settle in our new home, we will bring her with us. I hope everything will be fine,” Tetiana says.
The family is now headed to Poltava, where they have rented housing. They have no relatives there, only friends who moved earlier. The road ahead is uncertain, but they are together—and for them, that is everything.
If your family or friends remain in frontline areas, call them and urge them to leave. You can save their lives, and our team will help them reach safety.
You can sign up for evacuation by calling our call center Monday to Saturday, 8:00 AM – 6:00 PM at 0 800 332 614.
You can also reach us via messengers:
Viber: +38 (099) 710 48 72
Telegram: +38 (096) 108 60 48
Civilian evacuation is carried out within the framework of the project “Protection and Support of Vulnerable Communities in Eastern Ukraine: Multisectoral Humanitarian Aid and Preparedness”, implemented by the East SOS Charity Foundation with the support of ActionAid and funding from the European Commission for Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid (ECHO).
Recently, Yaroslav Korniienko, Evacuation Coordinator at East SOS, highlighted the increasing demand for evacuation services.
