After the liberation of Kherson, a grandmother was able to hug her grandson again
On November 11, 2022, Ukrainian troops entered Kherson. American-made M142 HIMARSes, along with other Western weapons, helped the Ukrainian army cut off the invaders’ supply, facilitating the liberation of Kherson without heavy fighting. This saved the lives of many Ukrainian soldiers and civilians.
Oleh, a defender with the call sign “Archi”, took part in the liberation of the region. When Ukrainian forces entered Kherson, he was able to reunite with his grandmother, who had been living under Russian occupation for eight months. The woman met her grandson on her knees at the gates of her home, finally able to hug him again.
The video that deeply touched people’s hearts on social media was filmed by Oleh’s brothers-in-arms. They were on a combat mission together, and Oleh asked them to drive by the street where his grandparents’ house was.
“I really wanted to come home and see it all. After being under occupation and then participating in combat operations, I didn’t believe it could happen. There was no cellphone connection. (…) And I couldn’t call my grandma or grandpa and ask them to come out for a moment. And then I saw – the gates were open,” Oleh said in the comment to TSN.
Mrs. Lidiia, Oleh’s grandmother, recalls how she saw her grandson near the gates of her home and cried tears of joy because she couldn’t believe Kherson was liberated.
Photo: Kostiantyn Liberov & Vlada Liberova.
Currently, the family is waiting for “Archi” to come back home again. Oleh has been serving in the Armed Forces of Ukraine for a year and a half now. “In the first week of the occupation, I realized that I would be fighting the war, but I didn’t understand how to leave,” he recalls.
It took three months for Oleh to leave the occupied city of Kherson with his mother, younger brother, and sister. “Archi” drove his family to Kyiv and went to the military enlistment office. Within a month, he went for training in the UK and completed a course in assault infantry. Later, Oleh returned to Ukraine and trained to operate the howitzer.
A rescuer by profession, Oleh takes pride in helping free Ukraine from Russian occupiers. The soldier states that after the victory, he wants to return home and help rebuild the region damaged by the Russian military aggression.
