A UKRAINIAN woman living in uMhlanga says she fears for her family and for the future of her country as the conflict between Russia and Ukraine enters its fifteenth day.
Iryna Kradozhon, who has been living in uMhlanga since 2009, says her brother, Ihor Zhuchenko, his wife Dasha, and their daughter Milana, who live in the city of Kryvyi Rih in central Ukraine, are reluctant to flee.
Already more than two million people have fled their homes since the Russian invasion which has seen the destruction of infrastructure across several Ukrainian cities and the deaths of thousands of civilians according to the United Nations.
“We speak several times a day but our chats are often punctuated by the sounds of air raid sirens and they have to take cover and the calls are cut. They are sheltering in their flat when this happens. I’ve been trying to convince my sister-in-law and my 13-year-old niece to flee the country but they say they are not going to leave my brother behind. They’ve told me that if they have to die, they will die next to him. It’s impossible for them to leave everything they know behind.
“It’s very upsetting to hear this and every day is a nightmare for me. I go to sleep not knowing what tomorrow will bring. The emotional stress and anguish I’m under is unbearable. I’m not living a normal life. I’m far away so I know this feeling is even worse for my brother and his family. My heart is with my family and the Ukrainian people. This war should not be happening,” she said.
Kradozhon said she fears for the future of her country and hopes the South African government would ease visa restrictions for Ukrainians wanting to flee the war.
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