The suffering of the Ukrainian people: women and children fleeing the war desperately hope to come home one day

A jerry-rigged pontoon under a destroyed bridge connecting Irpin to Kyiv is the only escape route from this suburb of Kyiv. Irpin has seen heavy fighting for the last two weeks. (© © Alberto Lores for People in Need )

Countless innocent people – including women and children – have been killed. “I will never forget the day when I was trying to get out of Irpin… I was outside when a neighbours’ car was shelled. The father died, and the mother and her child were wounded. It is difficult to accept this and impossible to understand. I desperately want this war to come to an end,” shared Olha from Irpin.

Evacuation ongoing in Irpin/Bucha area. (© © Alberto Lores for People in Need)

In Ukraine, many apartment buildings, once warm family homes, have been destroyed or become impossible to live in. Infrastructure that once served millions of people has become unusable.

An elderly woman being evacuated, Irpin. (© © Alberto Lores for People in Need)

Civilian infrastructure, including power plants, radio towers, and bridges, have been destroyed in the war. The impact of such destruction will have significant and long-lasting consequences for the innocent Ukrainians who remain.

A woman with her pet on a destroyed bridge in Irpin. (© © Alberto Lores for People in Need)

Destroyed bridges make it difficult for civilians to get to safety. People fleeing are often on foot and must carefully navigate dangerous obstacles such as bomb-damaged roads and ruined bridges.

Evacuation in Irpin. (© © Alberto Lores for People in Need)

For older and disabled people, it is impossible to flee without assistance. Elderly and disabled Ukrainians must rely on relatives, neighbours, and volunteers who help them flee the violence.

Evacuation of a small group of civilians under a white flag. These people must cross a bridge that has been destroyed on one side. The route is filled with cars abandoned by fleeing civilians forced to escape on foot; Russian artillery has repeatedly targeted this escape route, killing dozens of civilians. (© © Alberto Lores for People in Need)

Parts of Ukraine have become unrecognizable as so many people flee and buildings crumble. Despite the destruction, people still believe that they will be able to go home when peace returns to Ukraine. 

Children’s pushchairs left abandoned before the homemade pontoon (© © Alberto Lores for People in Need)

“I’m ready to do everything by myself, including construction works, to rehabilitate destroyed houses. I simply want to come back to my town; I want to return home to Korosten… People are very nice and kind in western Ukraine. They treat us very warmly. But I want to go home…,” says Olena from Korosten, who is staying in a collective centre in the Lviv region with her two daughters.  

A family with three kids gather at the evacuation point in Romanivka fleeing the combats (© © Alberto Lores for People in Need)

People in Need’s assistance to people in Ukraine is possible thanks to donations from the public and private sector to PIN Ukraine Emergency Appeal, financial contributions from Alliance2015, CARE, Stichting Vluchteling, Porticus, King Baudouin Foundation and partnership with European Union, Ukraine Humanitarian Fund, USAID’s Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic or World Food Programme.