Vyalec Family Needs A Home

Sergei Aleksandrovich Vyalec, 38, Police Officer, Lyudmila Anatolyevna Vyalec, 35, Saleswoman, Their daughter, Victoria Sergeevna, 13.

At 5:30 in the morning on February 24th, while everyone was peacefully sleeping, Sergei’s sister called to tell them that war had begun! No one in the family believed it. Lyudmila began calling everyone, asking if it was true. She called her mother, who lived in the village of Senkivka in Borodyansky district, and her mother confirmed that columns of tanks were indeed advancing, rockets were flying, and it was a real war. Later, they heard explosions and the rumble of tanks themselves. Despite this, Lyudmila and Sergei went to work, worked until noon, and then went home because everything around indicated that they needed to save themselves. They were told that a column of Russian tanks was approaching, so they quickly gathered some things and went to hide in the forest. The family thought it would be safer there. They hid there for several hours, and then decided to go to a neighboring village. They took only documents with them, not thinking it would be for long. Unfortunately, after two weeks, shelling began in their village too. The family hid in the cellar—cold, scared, and hungry— but they endured. When they couldn’t bear it anymore, they decided to flee again and went further away to acquaintances in Novgorod-Siversky. They stayed there until the end of active hostilities. The most horrific day was March 17th when neighbors called and said that their house was gone. It was hard for the family to comprehend; they left all their belongings there, hoping to return soon, but things turned out differently. Only ruins remained of their house. The family was devastated. When the Russians retreated, they immediately returned to their village, wanting to see with their own eyes what the occupiers had done to their home. When they saw it, they realized they had to start from scratch. Good people allowed the family to stay in their apartment for some time, but now the owners need to sell it. Sergei and his family have constantly been denied housing because of their dog, who is part of their family. The family’s dream is to return together to their plot of land and start rebuilding what they lost.