We were woken up by a call
17-year-old girl from Buchi
"We were woken up by a call. It was my friend's mother, with whom we lived in an apartment... It began..." - these are the words of Karolina Gerus, who begins her story for "History of the Strong". She is a 17-year-old girl from Buchi who, because of the war, traveled thousands of kilometers to find refuge in Europe.
At first, Carolina refused to believe what was happening until the explosions rang out. I made a decision to run away. But the girl's mother did not think so, and after quarreling with her, Lina spent the night in the office of the local ZHEK, where her stepfather worked.
Our Russophobia is not enough
At night, explosions rang out very close. "Mother spent the night alone with the children at home on Yablunska Street. She also heard enough at night, so we thought she had come to her senses a little. But, unfortunately, the quarrel flared up with new force... The stepfather turned around and went to sign up for the Teroboron."
Karolina decided to go alone. "My mother had no choice but to come to terms with my decision. She took my word that I would be in touch, and my stepfather gave me money and, very kindly, said goodbye and asked me to call... it turned out that then I saw him last".
For the first time I felt the value of f
The girl traveled to the capital station, where she waited for the departure of the train until morning. There she learned that the mother and children finally agreed to leave Buchi - then a column of Russian tanks almost entered the city.
The girl tells how she got to Poland, then to Germany, where she met her mother, brother and sister. It tells about the death of his stepfather, who, while serving in the city's security forces, came under fire, was captured, tortured and shot by the occupiers. She shares why she returned to Ukraine.