Stay or flee? Kyiv mothers torn on how to keep children safe as Russian attacks step up
Anna Lodyhina, a mother of a 5-year-old, spent many nights on the cold floor of Kyiv's metro, driven there — like many others — by relentless Russian attacks. As her child slept, she watched over him, exhausted by the constant threat and lack of sleep. This is just a glimpse of what Ukrainian mothers have been facing daily as Russia intensified its drone and missile campaign against Kyiv over the…
Kyiv mothers are left torn between staying in their city or fleeing as Russian attacks intensify. Anna Lodyhina, a mother of a five-year-old, has resorted to sleeping in the metro to keep her child safe. She had previously lived in Warsaw but returned to Kyiv after two years, only to find herself contemplating emigration once again.
Lodyhina's health deteriorated due to lack of sleep and constant fear, prompting her to move to Lviv with her son. In Lviv, she and her son have been sleeping peacefully for three weeks, but the threat of war remains ever-present. The turning point for Anna Ablitsova, a mother of a four-year-old, was a strike close to her home, which caused her son to panic.
Ablitsova moved to Lutsk, a city she had previously visited, to escape the constant terror in Kyiv. Both Lodyhina and Ablitsova are concerned about their children's mental health due to the prolonged exposure to war.
Written by urgent.news from Kyiv Independent's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
