Iryna Matviyenko
Ukraine, Kharkiv
Israel, Beer Sheva
“The war in Ukraine surprised me just like October 7th surprised the Israelis. The war with Russia was mainly in the south and southeast of the country and I didn’t really believe that it would break out in the Kharkiv area as well.
When the massive Russian bombings started, we fled to our basement. However, I discovered that descending from the ninth floor didn’t always guarantee safety; sometimes, you couldn’t reach the basement in time so you would pray that the shockwaves from the explosions won’t kill you.
Ukraine does not have anti-missile defense systems such as the ‘Iron Dome’ or the ‘Arrow’ system, so that if missiles are fired at us, half of the country takes shelter. In Israel, the anti-missile defense systems can estimate where the missile will land, so that the alarms are activated accordingly. Ukraine does not have this capability, so you constantly hear alarms even if the missiles are not supposed to land in your neighborhood. In Ukraine you constantly hear alarms. For 24 hours a day, and you can’t really live like that.
My daughter and I fled Ukraine and became refugees. My daughter, who is already grown, decided to settle in Slovakia and I chose to come to Israel and be with Yevgeny, whom I knew long before the war broke out in Ukraine.
I’m glad I came to Israel because I feel at home here. I visited Israel several times before the war with Russia broke out as my childhood friend and Yevgeny live here, so I knew exactly where I was heading to. I also preferred coming to Israel because people here are friendlier than in most of the European countries, I know so it felt like the right decision to make.
When the war broke out in Israel, I was shocked, like everyone else. Because I live in Beer Sheva, which is not that far from the Gaza Strip, I was afraid that the terrorists would come here as well and start murdering people in their homes. These were not easy days, also because Yevgeny was drafted into the reserves and I knew he was in the Kibbutz Be’eri area, so I was constantly worried about him. The only comfort I found was that my daughter wasn’t in Israel, so I didn’t have to worry about her safety as well.
In the first weeks of the war, like all Israelis, I volunteered wherever I could. I packed food, equipment, and clothes and distributed it all over the country. I felt like I just had to do it. As a refugee who already ran away from a war, I knew how much those evacuees needed our help, so I’m truly happy I could help them out.”