Hope, fear and fairy tales — current atmosphere of makeshift shelters
Russia-Ukraine war: The Russian aggression has continued to wreak havoc in Ukraine on the sixth day, with ceasefire talks ending inconclusively on Monday. With casualties from both sides piling up, people continue to live in fear, trying to save children and older while facing food and water scarcity.
Meanwhile, disturbing visuals and heartbreaking reports are surfacing all over the internet, proving this is a war that no one wants.
Stranded students and foreign nationals including Indians are desperately asking for help, several Ukrainians have joined the military to defend their homeland and many are living in makeshift shelters, trying to make conditions bearable amid the distant clatter of bullets, missiles or shells outside.
In the meantime, a screenshot describing a Russian soldier's last moment with his mother has gone viral.
“Mama, I’m no longer in Crimea. I’m not in training sessions. I am in Ukraine. There is a real war raging here,” the soldier tells his mother.
“I’m afraid. We are bombing all of the cities together, even targeting civilians."
“We were told that they would welcome us and they are falling under our armoured vehicles, throwing themselves under the wheels and not allowing us to pass."
"Mama this is so hard; The only thing I want now is to hang myself."
There were the last texts a Russian soldier sent to his mother who wasn't even aware of her son's location.
Also Read | Why is Russia declaring war against Ukraine? Here’s what you should know
On the Ukrainian side, hundreds of thousands of citizens in Keiv rushed to take shelter as air raid sirens howled on Tuesday.
The condition was no different on Sunday when the air raid sirens went off, compelling people to spend yet another night in Kyiv's subway network. A piano teacher Alla Rutsko described the 'terrible dream' she is seeing with her open eyes.
“A terrible dream ... It seems to me that all this is not happening to me. The eyes see, but the mind refuses to believe,” Rutsko, 37, was quoted saying, according to a report by WDBO.
“On the fourth night, I can even sleep and dream," she said, adding “But waking up is especially hard.” As the fear rages among Ukrainians, Rutsko focuses her thoughts on her grand piano and her fears of losing it – “an excellent instrument, inherited from my grandfather, survived the last war.”
Further, as many as 70 Ukraine soldiers were martyred today, as Russian artillery hit a military base in Okhtyrka.
Satellite images showing a long convoy of Russian military vehicles snaking along roadways northwest of Kyiv have also emerged. Hundreds of tanks, towed artillery, armoured and logistical vehicles can be seen in the viral photos.
Also Read | Russia-Ukraine war: Indian embassy advises its citizens to leave Kiev urgently
As uncertainty, fear, panic and horror grow with every hour, Indian students' cry for help is getting louder with the sound of Russian footsteps approaching.
Indian students in Ukraine spend sleepless nights, in the basements and student bunkers with water and basic food as the sounds of airstrikes, firing, fighter jets and tanks roaming nearby make sure to keep them up in horror.
However, stories of bravery and humanity are also emerging, with people supporting each other irrespective of their nationalities.
Among such people is a 17-year-old Indian girl who has refused to return home because she wants to stay in Ukraine till the end of the war to look after her Ukrainian landlord's wife and three children.
Another Indian student has refused to leave Ukraine without his pet. Rishabh Kaushik, a third-year student of software engineering at the Kharkiv National University of Radio Electronics is struggling to get a clearance for his dog ‘Malibu’ and has clearly refused to leave it behind.
Meanwhile, parents in Ukraine can be seen singing folk songs to their children and foreign students from Africa join them as they all sing the melodic national anthem, “Ukraine has not died yet, Glory to Ukraine!”
Also Read | Russia-Ukraine Talks: First round of ceasefire negotiations inconclusive, fighting escalates
-PTC News
