CHERNIHIV, Ukraine (NewsNation) — Yulia Zhdanova, a mother of two who survived an airstrike in her hometown of Chernihiv, is sharing her family’s experience from inside her bunker amid Russia’s ongoing invasion.
Her children are 11 and 14. One of her sons just celebrated his birthday.
Zhdanova said they’re very aware of what’s happening around them.
“All the conversations, all of the talks we have here are about war. The main questions they ask: ‘When will it stop? When will we come back? Will we have peaceful lives again?'”
The explosions near their house, Zhdanova says, are memories they will carry with them for the rest of their lives.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Tuesday admitted that Ukraine is unlikely to join NATO, the Western security alliance that Putin has demanded Ukraine never join, as he made a call for increased security commitments from the West.
Zelensky said Ukraine was still seeking security guarantees short of joining NATO, Reuters reported.
“All actions with our president, they are correct. We are for our president. We are for our army. We pray to God to make our Ukraine safe,” Zhdanova said.
Zhdanova said her children have even made a toy to replicate a “little Zelensky.”
“This is the perfect person right now for us. We believe in everything he does,” Zhdanova said.