Through her tears, Nina recalled the "atrocities" committed by Russian forces in her village just four days ago. Along with her work colleague Lody, she managed to flee their village of Velyka Dymerka after witnessing a war crime committed by the invading Russian troops against civilians.
The two women are now safe in Kyiv, where they have taken up work at a hotel. They sat down with Asharq Al-Awsat to recount the horrors of war.
Nina and Lody started their story from the beginning of the war. "The early days were difficult. We slept in the basement of our house," said Nina. "It was very cold, but cold is better than death."
The soldiers surrounded the village in the early days of the invasion. They did not storm it, but they did not cease shelling it, she recalled. "It was easy back then to flee, but as the days rolled on, we became trapped and could no longer even leave the basement."
The Russians then started to use Grad rockets against the village and nearby areas and suddenly stormed the village four days ago.
Soldiers in the village
The soldiers were hungry, said Lody. "They burned down and stole everything."
"When they stormed the village, they looted all stores. They found some Cola factory workers who were hiding from them. They took them out and shot them dead," revealed Nina.
Asking around, their story is confirmed. Nina and Lody said the men were civilian workers at the factory. They personally knew two of them and they lived in a neighboring village.
As Nina is overcome with emotions, Lody takes up the story. "The Russians stole civilian cars. They changed into civilian clothes and began to shoot at random. This was over a week ago. I wasn't able to take photos. We were terrified. We didn't even try to take photos. All we wanted was to flee to Kyiv."
"They burned down the village, even the church," she added. "Russian jets had previously struck the village, but the soldiers looted everything and burned down homes."
Nina noted that the troops had run out of food. "They were hungry and it was bitterly cold. They came to us for food. One of our neighbors called us and told us that the Russians had pointed a gun to her head and ordered her to cook for them otherwise they would have killed her. So, of course, she did and they left her alone."
Escape to Kyiv
Nina and Lody spoke of several other incidents that were passed down to them. They were witness, however, of one atrocity committed by the Russians against civilians.
They revealed how they saw, from afar, how the soldiers directed two civilians buses towards a Ukrainian forces position. One bus made it towards the post, but the other was stopped by the Russians, who opened fire at the passengers.
Nina and Lody said they were aware of the dangerous implications of their statements, but they insisted on having their story told.
"Yes, take our photo, write down what we are saying. We want the world to know what is happening in Ukraine," insisted Nina through her tears.
On their escape, she said: "We waited until the Russians left the village. We sneaked into a car and drove on back roads until we reached Ukrainian forces that helped us reach Kyiv."
The women spoke at length about their plight, in contrast to other refugees who prefer not to speak about their harrowing experiences before arriving in Kyiv, said Vladislav, one of the managers of a main center that receives the displaced in Bilohorodka 10 kms away from Irpin city where intense fighting has been reported for days.
"Upon their arrival, the refugees are usually in shock," he told Asharq Al-Awsat.
Vladislav, 30, works tirelessly to help the displaced. He is part of a local relief campaign, which has been joined by dozens of volunteers, police members, fire fighters and the Red Cross, that has turned a local car park into a field relief center. A field hospital has been set up at the site. Food, clothes and aid are available.
5,000 refugees a day
"It is hard to say how many people have passed through here," said Vladislav. "Perhaps thousands."
"Today we expect 5,000. It's the 18th day of the fighting, isn't it. You do the math. We receive the same numbers almost every day," he said.
He explained that the government forces here work on evacuating the refugees to any region they want, where they will be set up in temporary lodging until it is safe for them to return home.
Dozens of old yellow buses are parked in the lot and ready to transport the refugees. Vladislav explained that in the coming hours, more buses will arrive. They may be delayed because Russian forces search the travelers, whose identity is again inspected by Ukrainian troops. Once they arrive, they receive medical attention.
Vladislav is interrupted by another volunteer, Ludmila, who says: "Tell him we want a no-fly zone right now. Ukraine has everything. We don't need anything, except for a no-fly zone so that we can fight the Russians."
European aid
Ludmila is wrong in her assessment as the local government has started to distribute western aid at various centers that are receiving the displaced. Food aid has poured in from Poland, Turkey, Britain and others. Ukrainian products are no longer enough to meet urgent needs.
Such centers have been set up in various regions. The ones run by the government are more efficient. They organize the refugees and secure the transport of thousands a day on train networks. Lviv has emerged as a favored destination.
Other centers are run by a network of businessmen, wealthy Ukrainians and local civil organizations. Churches and other places of worship have also set up refugee centers.
Not too far away from Bilohorodka, Ivan, 56, stands in front of a church where he volunteers at a refugee center. He receives no less than a thousand displaced a day.
They arrive hungry, tired and afraid. They are welcomed with food, drink and clothes. Ivan told Asharq Al-Awsat that he can't provide any more help than this. He helps the refugees onto buses that take them where they want to go.
"I pray with them and for them as I see them off," he added. "Even as tears stream down their faces, I can't provide them with anything else."
Kyiv
In the heart of Kyiv, wealthy businessman, also called Ivan, believes he can give more to the refugees. He has turned his insurance company into a veritable center for providing food and securing aid to the displaced.
All kinds of aid imaginable is acquired by Ivan and his busy team of over 50 people.
Ivan believes that anything and everything can help towards the victory in battle.
"We provide food and a mobile phones - everything to the Ukrainians. In return, we receive funding and aid from Ukrainian businessmen here, but especially from abroad," he told Asharq Al-Awsat.
Ivan has even provided the Ukrainian army with non-lethal equipment and advanced technology. "Regular organizations cannot do what we are doing," he stressed, saying funds have been collected to buy night vision goggles and heat detection sensors that have been given to the army.
He also noted a shortage in bullet-proof vests, so his center has produced some locally.
