Testimonials : residents of the shelled building in Kharkiv , Ukraine
“Our house was unlucky”
Pensioners Iryna and Tetyana are residents of the building on Velozavodska Street in Kharkiv. When the war broke out, the electricity in their building was cut off. The owners of electric stoves were forced to cook over a fire or with dry alcohol, and to save cell phone charges. Now the house has access to utilities. However, on September 15, 2024, 2.5 years after the outbreak of the war, the house was shelled. Iryna was at home when it happened.
Iryna on the spot of the Première Urgence Internationale’s intervention, Kharkiv, 16.09.24
“I looked out the window and saw glasses flying”
Iryna recalls the first moments after the hit. “I was afraid to be trapped in the apartment in case the door was blocked. I could barely open the door, it was warped by the impact. People were running up the stairs and shouting: “Fire, come out quickly”.
Iryna, along with the rest of the building’s residents, watched the evacuation from the most affected apartments.
“I was amazed to see how my neighbour tried to save his pregnant 30-kilogram dog first and foremost and did not want to leave the apartment without her. When I learned that the woman who lived on the 11th floor had died, I was very upset. My mom was friends with this woman.”
The shelled house in Kharkiv, 16.09.24
Tetyana was in the house next door, at her daughter’s house, at the time of the hit.
She learned that her house had been hit from a neighbour’s phone call. Tetyana was strongly impacted by the air strike.
“I have been living in this house for 43 years. Our house was very cozy. Yesterday it was unlucky. It was scary. I would not wish this on anyone. I know everyone who suffered personally, and I feel very sorry for them. “We did not deserve this” says Tetyana.
Iryna lives in the part of building that was damaged the most, but her apartment was practically unharmed. The windows were not smashed because they were ajar. On the other hand, Tetyana lives further away from the hit, but the windows in her apartment were completely blown out. They were temporarily covered with wooden plates.
“Most likely, I will have to take out a loan to get them repaired before the fall cold arrives,” Tetyana comments.
For more than a day, the residents were not allowed to enter the house by the State Emergency Service. Iryna spent the night at her sister’s house, and Tetyana at her daughter’s. Then the residents were allowed to enter the house one by one and take their documents.
While waiting for the opportunity to get home, Iryna and Tetyana received assistance from the humanitarian organization Première Urgence Internationale, which arrived at the scene immediately after the strike. Iryna and Tetyana received humanitarian kits with home equipment. A doctor, a psychologist and a social worker from the humanitarian organization also provided assistance to the affected people on the spot.
Tetyana during the distribution of kits, Kharkiv, 16.09.24
“Humanitarian aid is very well organized. As soon as the strike happened, the organization’s (Première Urgence Internationale – red.) representatives were immediately here. People are warmed not only morally but also physically. I am surprised, I did not expect such support. It’s very important when you feel that you are not alone in such terrible trouble,” says Tetyana.
Both women have no plans to leave Kharkiv and want to continue living in their house.
