Ukrainian refugee reflects on Russian invasion two years later
Saturday marks two years since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and the war rages on with no end in sight.
A North Texas woman is reflecting on the grim milestone after barely escaping Ukraine with her life.
Life is finally peaceful for Ukrainian refugee Nadiia Marakhtanova, but in 2022, violence surrounded her community.
"The city we stayed in, it's Mykolaiv. It's in the south of Ukraine," Marakhtanova said.
Marakhtanova said her once bustling city turned into a ghost town with people terrified to come out.
"You lived 24/7 being afraid to die," Marakhtanova said. "Every day, you would hear bombing and shelling."
The single mother spent two weeks in a bomb shelter with her then 13-year-old son.
"I don't really remember if I ever slept. It was maybe two hours every day because you were always afraid that someone was going to fly to you, and your house was going to be bombed," Marakhtanova said.
In May 2022, Marakhtanova paid a driver to flee Ukraine with her son in a car full of strangers and dogs.
"We left with just two pieces of clothes, with nothing," Marakhtanova said.
She stayed in New York, then Florida, and finally came to Texas.
"We had no place to live in the first months," Marakhtanova said. "We had to stay, with my son, in the state park in Texas where we rented a spot, and we had tents."
Marakhtanova prays for Ukraine as the war enters its third year.
"It still hurts. You still feel scared for your country," Marakhtanova said. "You still feel bad for your country. You're scared because you still have family, friends who just didn't have the opportunity to leave."
Marakhtanova is thankful she had the opportunity to leave the violence and rebuild her life in Dallas. She's part of the Biden Administration's "United for Ukraine" program, which provides Ukrainian citizens fleeing the war an opportunity to come to the United States.
Marakhtanova said she doesn't expect the war in Ukraine to end anytime soon. She hopes to extend her stay under the program, which is set to expire in May.