Separated from family... Escaped on foot with only a cane
Ukraine's largest bank: "Will donate a house to grandmother"
A 98-year-old Ukrainian woman escaped from Russian-occupied territory by walking about 10 km. Upon hearing her story, a Ukrainian bank executive announced that he would donate a house to her.
The British daily The Guardian reported on the story of 98-year-old Lydia Stefaniuna Romikouska on the 30th (local time).
Romikouska, who lived in Ocheretyne, the frontline in eastern Donetsk, Ukraine, decided to leave the village with her family last week as fighting intensified due to the Russian military invasion. In a video interview posted by the Donetsk police, Romikouska said, “I woke up to the sound of gunfire all around, and I was very scared.”
98-year-old Lidiya Stefaniuna Romikovska escaped the Russian-occupied area by walking about 10 km. [Image source=Yonhap News]
During the chaos of the escape, Romikouska was separated from her family, including her son and two daughters-in-law. One family member had been injured by shrapnel a few days earlier.
Wearing slippers and leaning on a cane held in one hand, Romikouska walked all day without water or food. She fell twice while walking, once falling asleep after a fall and then waking up to continue walking. She recalled, “I lost my balance and fell into the weeds, fell asleep, and after a while, I kept walking. Then I fell again, but I thought I had to get up and keep walking little by little.”
Later, Romikouska was found by Ukrainian soldiers in the evening. The soldiers handed her over to the police unit ‘White Angels,’ which evacuates civilians from frontline areas. White Angels took her to a refugee shelter and contacted her family. Miraculously avoiding the shelling, Romikouska was able to reunite with her separated family.
Moreover, unexpected luck followed. Ole Horokhovskyi, CEO of Monobank, one of Ukraine’s largest banks, announced on his Telegram that he would donate a house to Romikouska.
CEO Horokhovskyi said, “Monobank will buy a house for Romikouska, and she will live there until this disgusting Russia disappears from our land.”
Romikouska said, “I survived World War II, but this war is different. Back then, not a single house was burned, but this time everything is burning and nothing remains.”
Meanwhile, Russia is intensifying its offensive while Ukraine suffers from a shortage of weapons due to delays in Western military support, expanding its territory in eastern Ukraine. On the 29th (local time), the American daily The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported, “Over the past week, Russian forces have driven Ukrainian troops out of several villages in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine.”
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