To Defenders of Freedom

Little Veronika left Kharkiv after hiding from bombardments in the subway for 50 days

On February 24, Russian troops bombed the multistory building that was home for Veronika. She moved to the subway together with her mother and grandmother. The family hid there from bombardments for 50 days. The girl was so traumatized by her experiences that even just coming close to the stairs that led out of the subway would drive her to hysteria.

Mykola Kuleba, the head of the “Save Ukraine” organization and former Commissioner of the President of Ukraine for Children’s Rights, shared the girl’s story. He met the family during a visit to Kharkiv and persuaded them to evacuate from the city. After several hours, they convinced the girl to come up the stairs and calmed her down. And this is how she saw the sun for the first time this spring. Now the family is safe in the west of Ukraine.

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