Story of Liubov, Liubomyrivka, Mykolaiv region, South Ukraine  

Photo Caption:

Liubov's destroyed house in Liubomyrivka village, Mykolaiv region, Southern Ukraine. Liubov and her husband Vitaliy returned to their village in May 2023, after being away for a year.

Portrait of Liubov, in Liubomyrivka, Mykolaiv region, Southern Ukraine. Liubov and her husband Vitaliy returned to their village in May 2023, after one year away.

Full story:

Liubov, 47-year-old and her husband Vitaliy 51-year-old, live in Liubomyrivka, a small village, in Mykolaiv Oblast, Southern Ukraine, a few kilometers away from the administrative border with Kherson. They used to live of the milk produced by their 3 cows.

“Before the war, more than 600 people lived in our village. There was a large school, children studied from the 1st to the 10th grade. There was a small kindergarten at the school. There were also shops and a cafeteria. Many families kept cattle in the village, there were more than 200 cows. Every day a milk truck would come for milk. The cattle grazed on the pasture from spring to fall. Farmers cultivated the land. They sowed grain and vegetables in the fields.”, Liubov recalled.

Before the full-scale invasion started, Liubov and Vitaliy used to live with their 15-year-old daughter, Lilia.

“She will be 16 this summer. When the war started, Lilia was finishing the 8th grade. Lilia studied at our village school. When the war started, a rocket hit the school. It was completely demolished. She now lives with her grandmother in Western Ukraine, and she finished the 8th grade there. We miss our daughter so much, even though we call her every day, but we want to hug her very much. Lilia and her grandmother are safe there in western Ukraine. But sirens sometimes sound there too. Unfortunately, we can't be there together. Grandma only has a one-room apartment.”, Liubov explained.

After the full-scale invasion started, Liubov and Vitaliy stayed during 40 days in the village, hoping that the situation would calm down.

« It was very terrible. On the 6th day, the power went out, the towers stopped pumping water, so we were without water, and the cows were with us. We went to collect water in the well of a neighbor through the house. But even that water soon ran out. When it was raining, we would put everything we had on the ground and collect a little. The cows were given little water to drink to make it last longer.”, Liubov shared.

“As soon as the war started, shells flew through our village, we saw them flying, and when the Russians forces came closer to our village, more and more shells started to fly to us. It was very scary. We had nowhere to hide, we stayed in the house and hid where there were no windows. We were so afraid. », she added.

“We left the village because rockets started flying into the village very often, and my husband has a heart condition…all these experiences and stresses made him feel very ill. And our daughter Lilia was very worried about us and insisted that we leave the village. She was already at her grandmother's house at the time, as we sent her two weeks earlier. We only took with us the most necessary things, some clothes and documents.”, Liubov explained.

“About two weeks after we left the village, we received a call saying that our house was on fire, a rocket had hit it. It was very difficult for us was to believe that our house burned down and we were left with nothing, but we thank God that we survived”, Liubov shared.

In the fall of 2022, Liubov was diagnosed with breast cancer and prescribed treatment with pills to shrink the tumor. Then she underwent surgery. She is currently undergoing chemotherapy, and almost through her treatment. “My husband and children give me strength, they are very supportive.”, she said.


Liubov and Vitaliy returned a year later, in May 2023. They went back to the house that Vitaly's grandfather had built, and which had not been lived in before the war.

“We decided to return to the village because there was no other choice and we missed our village very much. We knew that our grandfather's house had survived. When we returned, our hearts hurt when we saw our house, and it still hurts when we see it.”, Liubov shared.

They found Vitaliy’s grandfather house in a bad condition: “The roof was smashed, windows were broken, and the ceiling was damaged. Relatives helped them to clean the house and provided them with a bed. "We support each other, and this helps us get through it all.”, Liubov noted.

Liubov worries about having to leave her house again: “When we hear explosions, even though they are far away, we worry and pray to God, because it will be very difficult to leave our home for the second time.”

The couple lives on the IDP allowance, and humanitarian assistance.
“At the moment, we are getting a lot of help. Humanitarian aid is being brought to the village, firewood and briquettes have been brought to help us survive the winter.”, Liubov explained. They also received hygiene kits and food parcels.
NRC provided assistance to repair their roof.