Even today women are determined to leave their homes and loved ones to save their lives and to ensure a safer environment for themselves and their families. The dilemmas of today’s migrants lead women and children – this particularly vulnerable group of people, to unfamiliar places where they have to seek asylum and make an effort to adapt and rebuild their lives while hiding traumatic experiences and memories. 

Russia invaded Ukraine on the morning of the 24th of February 2022. Ukrainians are defending bravely, while civilians are facing a dilemma – to stay or leave. While the entire world is watching – the number of victims is growing in the war-torn country. Will we have the courage to defend the children and women who are being killed in Ukraine?.. Will we accept and understand people who have left their homes?…

Užhorodas, Ukraina – 2022 m. vasario 26 d. Vyras Ukrainos pabėgėlių fone atsisveikina su savo žmona, kuri bėga nuo Rusijos agresijos. Pabėgėliai Ukrainos ir Slovakijos pasienyje.

Yanosh Nemesh, Shutterstock

 “War and violence divide families. Men stay in the country, while women have to flee Ukraine on dangerous roads where shootings can start any minute. They leave alone with their children to the unknown, and they must shoulder all the responsibility by themselves. It’s a tragedy.”

“My relative who lives in Kyiv said: ‘I have to stay because we’ll have to rebuild the country after the war.’”

Ukrainian born and living in Vilnius woman who has relatives in Ukraine