In Vinnytsia, born in war

what we said

published in the article M Magazine World In May 2022, I personally told about the reunion between the Duchenko family, who live in Vinnytsia, southwest of Kiev, and mine in Chambery. In 1993, the son, Ivan, then 10 years old, came to France for the first time, as part of the Chernobyl children reception program. His parents were working at the plant when reactor 4 exploded on the night of April 25-26, 1986. Ivan spent several summers with my family. His little sister, Anne, was with the young couple in Pas-de-Calais.

In 1994, our parents brought us to Ukraine. There we met Ivan’s parents, Halina and Vasyl, in Vinnytsia, where they had moved after the Chernobyl disaster. The Duchenkos arrived in France the following year. Thirty-six years later, when Russia invaded Ukraine, Halina took refuge in Chambery with Marina, Ivan’s wife, and their two children, Andria (10) and Vira (4). Ivane was mobilized to the position of deputy director of Vinnytsia Energy Company, responsible for electricity distribution. His sister, primary school principal Anna, refused to go. The father chose to stay with them.

What happened next?

At the end of June 2022, Ivan’s mother decided to return to Ukraine. Speaking neither French nor English, he suffered from not being able to make himself understood. During Ivan’s stay in Ukraine, his grandmother had to be hospitalized. He had health problems himself. Marina and the children stayed for another month. Ivan obtained permission to come and see for a few days. At the end of July, Marina decided to return home: she had just discovered that she was pregnant.

“The hardest thing was hearing the warning sirens about the enemy attack and the electricity going out for hours and not knowing when it would come back on. ” Marina

This pregnancy could not have come at a worse time. But Ivan was delighted: he always wanted to have three children. So he made it his mission to not let anything negative affect his wife for the next nine months. “More difficult than expected, says Marina, had to listen to warning sirens announcing an enemy attack and electricity going out for hours without knowing when it would come back on. » A professor of pharmacy at the university, he taught until mid-January. On February 16, little Milanka was born in a hospital in Vinnytsia. “Now I just want my children to grow up in a peaceful country. says Marina.

Ivan and Anna try to always be positive in their posts. But fatigue is felt. In September, studies at his school resumed. Power outages have become more frequent. In early December, Anna said: “My school and my apartment are on two different power lines. When I leave the house in the morning, there is no electricity. We have one hour at school. Then two hours during the day. When I come home in the evening, it’s gone. So I do my laundry at night when he gets back. » In order for the students to continue their studies during the bombing, the teachers organized the basements, thanks to the donations collected abroad, within the framework of the operation “Bracelets and Peace”, of which Ana is one of the initiators. When the power goes out, students continue to study by the light of flashlights.