A Ukrainian child in Bashtanka refugee centre wishes the war would just end so that she can go back to school. The young girl is among the thousands of children who have been forced out of their cities and have had their lives turned upside down due to the Russian attack on Ukraine.
Anastasia, who along with her mother, was brought to the refugee centre in Bashtanka, recalls the horrors of the war.
“There were tanks and trucks everywhere. I don’t want war, I want to go to school,” Anastasia told India Today.
Ukrainian women and children were forced to flee their cities with only essentials packed. (Image: India Today)
India Today team reached the refugee centre in Bashtanka, which is a city in Mykolaiv Oblast of Ukraine. Bashtanka has been under intense attacks by the Russia forces. Rescue buses have been bringing refugees from Russian-controlled town of Snihurivka, which is about 60 kilometres east of Mykolaiv.
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The buses have something written on them, and when India Today asked the person in-charge of the refugee centre about the writing on the buses, he said that they have been marked as buses carrying children. He informed that the buses were carrying refugees from Russian-occupied region of Mykolaiv.
Refugees have been arriving in Bashtanka from Russian-controlled town of Snihurivka. (Image: India Today)
More than a month after Russia declared war on Ukraine, the civilians have been facing the worst of it. The Ukrainians have been facing undescribable terror, as the Russian troops bombarded cities.
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Ukrainians who were forced to leave their homes behind and flee to safety were asked to carry one or two bags filled with just essentials.
FAITH IN TIMES OF WAR
Speaking to India Today, Anastasia’s mother, Irene, said that she believes in God and has faith that sooner or later, this war will end. She reaffirmed her faith and said she is grateful to God that she is alive.
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Another woman, who was carrying a Bible in her hand, said that her village was without electricity and water.
“We are facing a lot of trouble, but we are glad that we have reached the refugee centre,” the woman said.
REFUGEES AT BASHTANKA
The person in-charge of the refugee centre spoke about how Bashtanka has become a central point for all the refugees who are fleeing the Russian-occupied villages in Kherson and Mykolaiv.
At the refugee centre, there were women, children, toddlers, and elderly people who have been travelling for a while. It had taken hours, checks, and counter checks from both sides before they could reach the refugee centre. The Russian forces let them go after checking their IDs.
Now, they wait at the refugee centre, while fervently wishing for this devastating war to end.