Much of the news revolving around the Russian invasion and bombing of Ukraine is factual and few sources highlight the emotional impact of war. In an attempt to highlight the psychological trauma of the Ukrainian people, I was put in contact with Margaryta (Margaret) Kryvda: one of the countless Ukrainians who have evacuated from their homes, left family members behind, and are now political refugees in foreign countries. Here is Margaryta’s story.
Margaret is from Odessa (Одеса), Ukraine, a southern port city on the Black Sea. She is an only child to Vladimir and Victoria Kryvda. In her first year of university, Margaret is double majoring in journalism and electrical supply. She explained how the men in her family are electricians and the women are teachers, so she is following in both parents’ footsteps with her degrees. In her free time, Margaret enjoys drawing, gaming, and dancing. At 18 years old, Margaret’s sense of normalcy and home has been all but destroyed after fleeing the warzone that has plagued her country.
On Monday, March 7th, 2022, Margaret’s parents drove her and four other people to the border of Moldova said their goodbyes, and drove back to their home in Odessa. Since this dropoff, Margaret has been separated from her family and traveling with her classmate Mariia, her mother’s friend Halyna, and Halyna’s two sons Danya and Dima. Luckily, Margaret’s mother, Victoria, has international connections with former university classmates and with their help was able to organize housing and transportation for Margaret. Not everyone fleeing Ukraine has been so fortunate.
In Moldova, Margaret and her four companions were helped by a man named Vitally who gave them tea and drove them to a refugee site where they stayed for two nights. The travelers had plans of going to Austria, but couldn’t find any direct trains to Vienna. Instead, Margaret took a bus to Romania and met with a woman who booked train tickets for the five evacuees. From there, they traveled to Bucharest, then Innsbruck, Austria, and finally Switzerland. Margaret, Mariia, Halyna, Danya, and Dima are currently staying with a family in Switzerland.
Although warm, fed, and out of range of bullets, Margaret is still in shock. She explained how before she fled Odessa she could see the mushroom clouds of bombings in nearby cities and how her grandmother shook with fear when military planes flew over their home. These images of “rockets coming from the sky and you can’t predict when they are coming” are not easy to wipe away. When asked about how she felt about the looming war in her country, leaving her family behind, and the process of evacuation, she simply stated she was exhausted. She explained how around three million Ukrainians have left the country and it was a “strange feeling when you realize you are one of them.” She claimed it’s been “three weeks with a lot of things happening and I can’t remember it all.”
When asked about her family, Margaret said, “right now I am safe, but my relatives (…) they stay there and have nothing to do.” For Margaret, staying positive is almost impossible because she is worried about everything. She worries about her family not only because of the constant threat of the Russian army, but also because of the risk of starvation, hypothermia, and lack of money. Being safe, warm, and fed, while your relatives are actively suffering from psychological trauma hundreds of kilometers away is a mental torture no one should endure.
Currently, Margaret’s school has extended break until April, but she is apprehensive about attending online classes again. She emphasized how difficult it would be to pay attention in lectures while millions of Ukrainian citizens are facing the effects of war. Her classmate, Mariia, is still in school, which according to Margaret’s translation, is a good distraction but doesn’t help resolve any emotional damage she’s endured. At this point, seeking normalcy through education is only a temporary bandage for Ukrainian students because the damage to their homes, family structures, and national security is a wound too intense to heal in a short period of time.
“I want everyone to be okay, safe, and there will be peace”
– Margaret Kryvda
Margaryta Kryvda is one of millions of innocent Ukrainian refugees who were forced to flee everything they know to escape the invading Russian army. She was willing to share her story with me, but many are too heartbroken, shocked, and angry to do the same. As of now, people like Margaret, Mariia, Halyna, Danya, and Dima are being welcomed into homes in Switzerland, Germany, Austria, and more, but there are still thousands of displaced people freezing at train stations, waiting for a kind person to offer them a blanket, some hot soup, or a shoulder to cry on. Although it is easy to ignore the suffering of strangers thousands of miles away, it is crucial to do anything to help these people. How would you feel if, like Margaret, you had to flee your country and rely on the kindness of strangers in order to survive?
If you would like to help, I have started a GoFundMe to send money to my mom in Germany so she can help Ukrainians, one of which was Margaret, find safe, warm housing. There are also numerous charities raising money to further support the resettlement of Ukrainian refugees.