Family Story
The Kuhelny family consists of four members: parents and their two children. Oleg Kuhelny, born in 1985, Natalia Kuhelna, born in 1984, their son Mikhail, 15 years old, and daughter Olga, 11 years old. They remained in the village throughout the occupation and did not leave. Their house is located near the highway, where Russian troops were present from the early days of the war. About a week after the war began, the family sought refuge in their neighbor’s basement since their own house was not suitable for shelter. They lived there for a month until their area was liberated, and they continue to reside there at present.
The experience was indescribably difficult, being in occupied territory with children under constant shelling. Natalia’s sister faced an even harsher fate. Russian forces arrived at her yard with tanks and took her, along with her 13-year-old child, as captives. For a month, they remained in the basement, living under the threat of automatic weapons. When Natalia and her husband learned about their sister’s ordeal, they decided not to evacuate but to stay at home with their loved ones. However, leaving their village was nearly impossible as all roads were constantly under attack.
Food was scarce, and they relied on preserved goods that their parents had made the previous summer. The children endured the horrors of that time and underwent a rehabilitation program with psychologists during the summer. The Kuhelny’s house caught fire and burned down right before their eyes on March 25th, in broad daylight. Natalia and her husband tried to save their animals – cats, dogs, and a parrot – from the flames, and miraculously, they succeeded. However, they lost all of their belongings. Natalia recalls having a dream just two days before the fire, where a shell hit their house. Unfortunately, this nightmare became a reality.
The family has endured extremely difficult times alongside their children. For nearly a year, they have been living in unsuitable and uncomfortable conditions in someone else’s basement, longing to return to their land and have a place of their own. They truly deserve to rebuild their lives and regain their sense of security.
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