At dawn on 24 February 2022, Russia launched a war against Ukraine as a continuation of an eight-year conflict after Russia occupied Crimea in 2014.
As a result of Putin's “peacekeeping” operation, which he claims has very clear and noble aims, evidence of mass graves, raped women, and the use of banned weapons is emerging.
Since then, the number of refugees who have left Ukraine is more than five million. The majority of those displaced are women and children.
Getting out of the war zones is not easy because the Russian army often does not allow evacuations while firing on civilian convoys or opening up exit routes to Russia. So far, nearly 100,000 people have been resettled from the occupied territories to the "member states of the Russian Federation": Siberia, the Far East, the North Caucasus, and the heavily militarised republics of Chechnya, Ingushetia, and Dagestan. Many have chosen to travel through war zones with their children, on foot or by car, into insecurity.
The majority of refugees who reach safety are not prepared to start a new life. Leaving their ordinary lives behind, they have had to leave everything, relatives and friends, behind overnight. Many packed their bags in minutes, living for days amidst constant gunfire and bombardment, not knowing whether the next rocket would kill them or their loved ones or not. They don't even know how far they will get, what awaits them on the way, how they can go, where they can go, and what awaits them there. Whether their husbands, fathers, and parents will live to see another day and, if so, when they will see them next. They have to cope with weeks of terrible mental strain, fear, stress, and depression.
At the moment, it is not known exactly how many women are left alone after losing a partner, an elderly person's child, a child's mother, or father.
And this loss, which can affect entire generations, is growing by the day.
"A mother and her two daughters, aged 20 and 11, arrived from Kharkiv ten days ago. Unfortunately, the older daughter went into shock and is in a psychiatric ward. Her treatment could take weeks, so the mother is looking for a place for herself and her 11-year-old daughter to stay".
Georgij
Aliya
673 miles away from her home.
She left her home in Odessa with her mother and sibling on 6 April, 2022 after several missiles exploded near them.
“When the bombing started, I packed our lives into two suitcases, and we left our home, because I feared for my daughter’s life. She still thinks that while daddy is away on a long business trip, the two of us came on a holiday. I have no idea if we will ever be able to go home, and if we do, whether we will have a place to live, and what I will tell my child”.
Natalii
Alona
649 miles away from her home.
She left her home in Irpin, near Kyiv on 31 March, 2022 because of the war.
“My husband died, we buried him in the back of our garden. The next day I was hit in the neck by several pieces of shrapnel from a rocket that landed near our house".
“Do you know where I could buy a gas mask? I want to send one to my husband. He is at the front, fighting near Mariupol, and I’m worried they might be exposed to chemical weapons”.
Jelena
Alina
653 miles away from her home.
An Import Manager, she left her home in Kyiv on 27 February, 2022 because of the war.
Marina
937 miles away from her home.
She is a writer, who left Kharkiv on 19 March, 2022 because of the war.
"However far I am from my country, I feel physical pain every day because of what happens".
“We came from Chernihiv, from the combat zone. I am looking for a wheelchair for my ten-year-old disabled son.
His wheelchair broke while we were fleeing. We had painted it red, because of that movie “Cars” – it’s his favourite story to watch”.
Valeriia
Nasztya and Masha
653 miles away from their home.
The little girl and her mother left on 5 April, 2022 from near Kyiv because of the war.
“I had no idea where to get food, I was wandering around the train station without money.
My husband is fighting, I know nothing about him.
They shot my father, and my mother was too scared to leave the cellar and come with me”.
Natasha
Irina
937 miles away from her home.
A police officer, left her home in Kharkiv because of the war on 8 April, 2022.
"I worked in the police station. Were sent on a month's extraordinary break.
The building was hit by several rocket attacks, exploded, and destroyed".
Olga
937 miles away from her home.
She is a volunteer, she left Kharkiv in February 2022 because of the war.
“We don’t have a choice. We don’t want our children to see these things. To see and hear the bombing.
We didn’t want to leave our fathers and husbands.
That is our home. We didn’t want to leave our home.
I had a life. I had friends, my daily routine, my favourite places to go to.
When I help others, I feel useful”.
“We couldn’t bring our dog, as we only had an hour to pack everything up and leave with the kids.
Our neighbour promised to look after him. A few days ago we were watching the news, and saw our house, it had been bombed out.
We recognized the neighbourhood and our living room. Where should we go home now?”
Elena
Jana and Kiril
650 miles away from their home.
The boy and his mom left Irpin, near Kyiv on 7 March, 2022 because of the war.
“Please, write! The women in Kharkiv need help!”
Madeleine
Stephania
649 miles away from her home.
She left her home in Kyiv with his mother on 18 March, 2022 because of the war.
Senja
937 miles away from her home.
She is a mother, who left Kharkiv on 19 March, 2022 because of the war.
“Two women – a mother and her daughter – crossed the border into Hungary at Beregsurány a week ago, with their own car.
They had fled Kharkiv. The husband/father hasn’t been able to contact them on any platform since then!
If anyone has any information, please, let me know!”
Zuzana
Katarina and Jackim
937 miles away from their home.
The boy and his mother left Kharkiv because of the war on 25 March, 2022.
“Many refugees were given housing in the country (for example, in Gárdony).
By now, they are in a difficult situation, as there is no work there, there are no places collecting and distributing aid, so people are running out of food.
There is someone here with their 18-month-old. What can be done? How can some help be organised?”
Maria
Olekszander
649 miles away from his home.
He and his mother came from near Kyiv on 5 April, 2022 because of the war.
“A refugee family is looking for accommodation. We are arriving from Poland today (5 April), as they can’t help us there any more, it’s full.
A mother and two children, the father died fighting. It is urgent”.
Yana
Olga
617 miles away from home.
She is retired, and left Uman on 19 March, 2022 because of her medical condition and the consequences of the war.
“I had both my kidneys taken out, and because of this, I am in constant need of special medication and treatment. Because of the war, even the most basic medicine was hard to find, and there are problems with healthcare as well. I had no choice but to leave home”.
Zsolt is a freelance reporter and photojournalist. He specialises in documenting stories in conflict zones. His aim is to show the immediate and long-term impact of humanitarian crises by capturing photographs and writing about the personal stories of those living through conflicts.