ONE yr in the past Anastasia Hlazenko was giving delivery to her daughter in a bombed-out maternity hospital as Russian troops blitzed her dwelling metropolis in Ukraine.
Now little Polina is celebrating her first birthday with a cuddly Paddington Bear given to her by The Solar as her mum declared: “She is a beacon of hope.”
Anastasia added: “Polina reveals that no matter Putin throws at us, Ukraine won't ever die.
“Polina adores her Paddington. Everybody is aware of about Paddington having tea with the Queen, and now Polina will even develop up loving Paddington.
“Thanks to The Solar for this current — and thanks to the UK and everybody else who continues to assist Ukraine.
“With the world behind us, we are going to by no means be defeated.”
Anastasia, 25, and her husband Andriy, 30, had been busy getting ready their dwelling within the jap metropolis of Izyum for his or her first little one when conflict broke out final February.
Anastasia mentioned: “My greatest concern was having a child, not conflict, however on my means dwelling from a routine hospital appointment I noticed queues exterior outlets and banks.
“Then we heard that Russia had invaded.”
A short while later her contractions started and Andriy rushed her to hospital as columns of Russian troops approached town.
Quickly after they arrived, Polina’s coronary heart price dropped, so medics ready for an emergency caesarean.
Renewed assault
Polina was born match and wholesome, weighing 6lb 15oz — however inside hours mum and child had been taken to the hospital basement amid a Russian bombardment.
Financial institution employee Anastasia mentioned: “We heard a airplane and noticed a flash and there was an almighty bang.
“Home windows had been smashed and the lights went out. The employees yelled for us to go to the shelter.
“I had simply had an operation so I couldn’t run and I couldn’t carry my child.
“As we had been going to the basement we heard gunfire and extra explosions. It was terrifying.
“Individuals had been crying and screaming. We didn’t know the place the bombs had been falling or if they'd hit the hospital.
“All the enjoyment of being a brand new mom vanished.
“All I cared about was getting me and Polina dwelling alive.”
With cell phone indicators down, Anastasia had no concept whether or not Andriy had survived the assault.
He mentioned: “I felt ineffective as a result of I ought to have been there to guard my spouse and child however there was nothing I might do.”
After three days he made it to the hospital the place his spouse and little one had been sheltering.
However after the hazardous journey dwelling they needed to head straight to their very own basement to shelter as soon as extra from a renewed Russian assault.
Anastasia mentioned: “Their artillery was within the metropolis, the water and energy stored going out and Polina’s mattress was a cardboard field.
“We needed to save recent water for consuming, so to clean we collected ice from puddles and melted it.”
At occasions the preventing was so near their dwelling that their basement shook from explosions and a bullet slammed into certainly one of their picket window frames.
The residing circumstances turned so grim they fled to her mother and father’ dwelling — however reluctantly needed to depart their canine Ralf behind.
The Russian bombardment intensified and 50 folks died when an condo block was destroyed.
Snipers had been selecting off civilians in the event that they ventured out, and enemy jets flew overhead always.
The household then heard about an evacuation convoy of buses which was as a consequence of depart town.
They stuffed garments and essential paperwork right into a black bin bag and ventured exterior to search out the streets coated with big shards of glass and piles of rubble.
They ran for 1 / 4 of a mile to achieve the convoy, fearing a sniper assault or renewed bombing from a jet each step of the best way.
Anastasia mentioned: “We ran so quick I couldn't breathe, and I held on to Polina so tightly.
“We didn't know the place the buses had been going however we simply hoped it might be someplace safer.”
The household reached the convoy, and after two days of travelling by bus and practice they reached the relative security of Lviv within the west of Ukraine.
Practically a yr later they're now protected and properly and residing within the Polish city of Czeladz, an hour from Krakow, the place Andriy has discovered a job at a automotive plant.
Their dwelling metropolis of Izyum — a key transport hub which made it a strategic goal for Vladimir Putin — has been devastated and their very own home badly broken.
The Russians took management of town shortly after the household fled however Ukrainian forces retook it in September.
Round 80 per cent of the infrastructure has been destroyed, 1,000 folks had been killed and mass graves have been found.
However the couple refuse to surrender on their dream of sooner or later returning.
Greater than something they wish to be reunited with three-year-old pet Ralf.
Extremely he's nonetheless alive, surviving every day on meals given to him by Ukrainian troopers, and guarding the wrecked household dwelling, ready for his household to return.
Anastasia mentioned: “Some individuals who stayed within the metropolis checked our home for us lately and whereas they had been there Ralf appeared.
“It was superb to listen to he's alive and properly.
“We really feel so responsible for leaving him however we all know that Ukraine will win this conflict and when that occurs, we hope we will go dwelling and be with Ralf once more.”
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