4 Years After: The Story of Elena, Iaroslav and Eva

Four years after the start of the war in Ukraine, the lives of Elena and Iaroslav are divided between homesickness and small local joys. Iaroslav has become something of an “expert” in soup, cooking it with pride and teasing his colleagues about how thrifty he is. Elena, however, carries the weight of forced exile.

“I hate that I had to leave. I don’t like this state of survival,” she confesses.

In Ungheni, she goes to the neighborhood church, looks for a kindergarten for their daughter Eva, and tries to build a small circle of acquaintances. The silence of their apartment is broken by Eva’s enthusiasm:

“Mom, mom! I need colors!”

Elena gets up slowly, retrieves a plastic box of worn pencils, and hands it to her.
“Yesterday we colored, and today she wants to color again,” she explains. “When we find something we like, we repeat it. That’s it, mom has to buy a new album,” she jokes.

“Three Days Without Water, Heat, and Electricity”

Elena decided to take refuge in Moldova only a few months ago, and not earlier, because she couldn’t leave her pregnant niece behind in Ukraine. They had already made plans to support each other. However, everything changed when bombings left Elena without water, heat, and electricity for three days.

“Here, I have a flashlight on the table as a souvenir. It was already charged and it lit us up for three days,” she says.

Her niece refused to leave. Her husband, Iaroslav, was already in Moldova.

“We are like a seed. Our lives are constantly being replanted from one soil to another. And I still hope to take root in the new country,” Elena says, her eyes filling with tears.

She remembers seeing a refugee for the first time years earlier, when she worked in human resources.

“He was like a burnt sheet. I don’t remember what country he was from, but you could feel the difference. We are all like blank sheets in our country—able to rewrite our story at any moment. When you take refuge, you feel like your edges have been burned, and you are no longer the same.”

When the War Began

Elena speaks softly, almost in a whisper. Her words are carefully chosen.

“I always wonder what God’s plan is, and then I tell myself that He knows what He is doing.”

The war began at a time when she already felt lost. She was in the hospital for medical tests, but the bombings made it impossible to proceed. She had just had a fight with her family.

“I felt alone in the world. I thought I was living the last moments of my life,” she says. She had accepted the idea that she would face everything without her family.
“But He had His plan,” she adds, looking upward.

Elena met Iaroslav Doctor at a monastery, introduced by a nun. At the time, he was a theology student in Sumy. When the war began, he was at home on vacation.

“Yesterday I was at the theological seminary, and today, suddenly, there was war,” he says quietly.

Iaroslav’s Story

Iaroslav found what he was looking for in Ungheni: peace and security. He admits that Chișinău offers more professional opportunities, but he prefers a quieter city.

“I tried Chișinău one summer. The city seemed full of possibilities, but every trip cost me too much and the rent was expensive.”

In Ungheni, finding work in winter is harder, but it’s calmer for Eva. His first months were difficult—he didn’t even know where he would sleep. He spent some time in a tent, then in a hostel. Looking for an apartment was one of the hardest steps.

“When I arrived, I didn’t know anything. I was scared. There were a lot of rumors about how refugees from Ukraine are treated,” he recalls.

Slowly, he began meeting people and adapting.
“I started talking to different people. I can’t say that I fully found myself here, but step by step, things settled down.”

Eva’s Joys

Eva is two years old and was born in Ukraine. Focused and curious, she dresses her doll, adjusts its dress, then proudly shows it to her parents.

“Look, isn't she beautiful?” her eyes seem to ask.

A moment later, the doll loses its charm. Recently, Eva started kindergarten and brought home a virus that infected the whole family.

“She came with a fever and a runny nose and took us all with her,” Elena laughs.

This spring brings a major change for the family. Forced to leave the apartment they live in, they now have to search for another place to stay. Their biggest wish is to have a home of their own.

The story of Elena, Iaroslav and Eva reminds us that four years after the beginning of the war, the situation for Ukrainian refugees remains urgent and should not be overlooked. We take this occasion to thank the European Union, Germany, United Kingdom, Switzerland and the United States of America who continue to support UNHCR in providing multi-purpose cash assistance to the most vulnerable.