Ukraine, Halyna on the run with her disabled daughter from Mariupol ‘:’ ‘Eight hours by car just to leave the city’ ‘

For days with the suitcases ready and with the nightmare of having to leave suddenly. Yesterday the anguish for the Russian army 10 km away but until the end the hope of not having to leave his home. This morning it was the explosions that woke Halyna and her family. So she with her husband and her disabled 27-year-old daughter got into the car. Behind her Mariupol ‘, her city, faced with uncertainty, the fear of not being able to reach the house of a relative who is waiting for her in the Lviv Region (Lviv) 1,500 kilometers away. From Italy, her cousin, Nataliya Karfut, a theologian who has lived in Rome for 15 years with her Italian husband and two daughters, follows their journey with apprehension. ” Mariupol ‘was bombed this morning, the Russian military is being confronted by the Ukrainian army. My cousin has been in the car since 7 am and a little while ago, around 3 pm, I received a message, they managed to get out of the city – Nataliya tells Adnkronos – They were ready to leave for days and as soon as they heard the shots they started walking , but many other people have done the same thing, with the consequence of long queues. Now they are heading west, we hope they will be able to cover these 1,500 km with all the difficulties that could arise, from bombing to the lack of petrol. In the Lviv region on the border with Poland there is another cousin waiting for them. ” Halyna and her family had already had to leave their city in 2014, they had managed to escape at the last moment under the bombing. They had stayed in Kiev for a month and then managed to go home. But Natalya’s concern is for the whole family, for her mother and sister even though they are in Lviv. ” Even my mother who lives in the western region bordering Poland was woken up by bombing this morning – she says – Near her home there is a military polygon where there were also some helicopters. It was bombed and is now gone. The planes carrying the bombs flew very low over the houses. ” the appeal: Italians, French and Germans take to the streets to stop the war – if the West is weak Putin will take other countries too ” I am very worried, we did not expect bombing throughout Ukraine – she continues – possible to move but my mother does not want to leave the house. My sister with her family left the city and also went to my mother’s house. We told them to come here until they understand how the situation evolves but they don’t want to. The Ukrainians have said they will defend the land and resist until the end, for the moment I don’t know anyone who has left the country ”. ” I receive many messages of support and dismay from Italian and foreign friends and I expect that all this bewilderment will also lead them to protest and have their say – he underlines – I expect Italians, Germans, French to take to the streets to say that we must stop this war. Unfortunately there is no time, decisions and time are very important now. We have had war in Ukraine for eight years and Europe, knowing the situation, had eight years to prepare for such a thing but some eyes opened two days ago. The West’s response to Putin will either stop him or if the sanctions are too soft will be an invitation. If Putin takes Ukraine then he will also take other Eastern European countries and it is not known how he will end up ”.