In the rural community of Maliyivka, Valentyn Velykyi faced a difficult truth. His friend Mykola had disappeared, with no word and no clues as to where he’d gone. What started out as a formal but friendly drop-in, with tea and sweet biscuits, immediately morphed into a question of survival and safety. With the war in Ukraine intensifying, Velykyi found himself alone in a village that had been his home for years. His harrowing journey is sadly illustrative of the larger plight of civilians caught in the wake and ongoing fire of brutal conflict.
As the conflict between Ukraine and Russia deepened, Valentyn Velykyi started feeling the effects last year. As the war moved closer to Maliyivka, he started to realize the growing dangers around him. The boom of the shells served as a constant reminder and soundtrack, heightening the tension and terror that the children experienced. “You could hear explosions day and night. Recently missiles started flying over my house. There’s a rumbling sound. You start to visualize it with the trail on the sky,” Velykyi remembered.
After Mykola’s abrupt departure, things got pretty serious. Velykyi shouted for his colleague but there was no answer. The next day, he found shelter in a dugout constructed by Ukrainian defenders. The dugout gave him a temporary feeling of security, but deep down, he knew there was no way he could stay there forever.
As night fell, the lack of water forced Velykyi to make the journey to Mykola’s well. Out there on the sweltering sun, he trudged for six hours, traversing once familiar land that was rapidly becoming more dangerous. This journey was not simply an effort to find water—it represented his strength in the face of mounting peril.
Lived at No 18 Petrenko Street, Valentyn Velykyi – the last remaining resident of Maliyivka. His seclusion compelled him to face the fact that if he remained any longer, he would almost surely die. Concerned for his safety, Oleksandr Holovko, the head of Velykomykhailivka’s village council evacuation department, and the local police chief urged him to leave as fighting intensified.
In the end, Velykyi gave in and was eventually dropped off at a registration center in Pavlohrad. It was evacuation that saved his life and helped him avoid a fall or other serious injuries. “I wouldn’t have survived had I stayed much longer in Maliyivka,” he stated with a sense of urgency.
The war had a profound emotional impact on Velykyi. He expressed his outrage specifically towards Russian President Vladimir Putin. “That idiot Putin wants to take it all. Our most fertile land. That’s what it’s all about,” he asserted. His words spoke to the pain of millions of Ukrainians, who have seen their lives fall apart because of this terrible war.
On a larger scale, Capt Viktor Danyshchuk underscored the determination within Ukrainian ranks to defeat this brutal aggression. “Our only option is to keep fighting. We are defending our land,” he stated firmly. This sentiment is not unique—it resonates with every individual who carries that commitment to defend their native land.
The destruction in Maliyivka is evident. Oleksandr Holovko described the devastation: “The place is completely destroyed. Every house is either fully in ruins or partially. It’s kapiets [messed up].” The remnants of homes symbolize not only physical loss but the emotional scars left on a community that once flourished.
Despite the tumult around them, there is still a small cloud of hope with everyone touched by the war. Serhii Andriyanov remarked, “My country has a future. It’s just a question of time.” This belief fuels perseverance amidst despair.
As Valentyn Velykyi contemplates his future, he reflects on the harsh truth of his situation: “It’s a question of time.” As that uncertainty continues to hang heavily over Ukraine, though, like so many of his compatriots, he is keen to imagine a better tomorrow.