On Feb. 24, 2022, Russian forces invaded Ukraine and threatened its capital, Kyiv, the hometown of Yehor Mishchyriak ’26. He remained with his family in the country for nine days before fleeing to Germany. This experience was not novel for Mishchyriak; he had fled from the city of Donetsk when Russia annexed Crimea and threatened Eastern Ukraine in 2014. Mishchyriak sat down with The Argus to describe his summer, his experiences as a civilian during wartime, and his thoughts on the future of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

The Argus: Do you want to describe your summer?

Yehor Mishchyriak: My summer was probably one of the most boring summers you could imagine, because I like to study a lot. So all I was doing was studying English, math, and attending gym. [That] was all I did except when I visited Bulgaria [and] Greece. Before the war began, I didn’t really travel much. Turkey and Germany were the only countries I visited. But [after the war started], I went to Germany [for] the second time. [I went to] Slovakia and the Czech Republic and now the U.S.

A: When did you leave Ukraine?

YM: My family and I left Ukraine on March 5, [2022]…and the war began on February 24. So we were in Ukraine [for] nine days after the war began. Although it’s not that long [a] period, it felt as if we were there for a year, because [the] days lasted so long. And it felt like our life was paused because public transport didn’t work. Actually, nothing worked.

Those days, sirens were going off all the time, sirens, alarms, and aerial raids…. It was really scary because, [in] the first days [of the war], there were already strikes on residential buildings. You couldn’t be certain whether your home would be struck.

I remember, although it sounds dreadful, and it was dreadful, but…my friends and I…were laughing at it because we would be playing “Battlefield,” and we didn’t know where…the explosion [was coming from], in the game or outside. And it was both. It was the most realistic experience of playing “Battlefield.”

A: Do you remember the day the war began?

YM: Explosions were really loud. I woke up at about 5 a.m. And I vividly remember the moment [when] I woke up and my parents told me that the war [had] commenced, [after] all of those days before [when] people were discussing whether it would happen or not.

The most significant indicator [of war] was that all the embassies fled Ukraine, fled Kyiv. It was really scary because of the Western [media]. All of them were claiming that Kyiv was going to fall in three days, but it’s been almost eight months [and] Ukraine’s still fighting.

A: How did you leave the country?

YM: There were a couple of rocket strikes on the railway stations and Ukraine stopped announcing train schedules. You had to actually come to a railway station and ask people where the trains were going. And those stations were so overcrowded, it was almost impossible to be there. I almost suffocated a couple of times.

When we were standing on a platform of the railway station trying to flee the city, the air raid alert began going off. It was really scary, because the previous day, Russia struck a different station in Kyiv with missiles. My sister was really panicking and I was calming her down although [I] was scared as well—[I] just didn’t show it.

Firstly, we tried to embark on a train which was going to Lviv, the region close to Poland. But only my sister and my mother were able to get on the train. And so they got there and this flow of people began moving to the train. And so my father and I were just left on the platform.

The train was about to depart, and all of our documents and money were with my mom and my sister. It was really scary. But fortunately, they managed to get off the train. As it was not the main railway station of Kyiv, we waited for many hours for another train. I don’t remember for how long exactly, but it was really long. [From there] we got on a train which was going to Khmelnytskyi, which was kind of far [from] where we were aiming to get to.

The scariest thing was [the] suspense. We didn’t know where we wanted to go. We just knew that we had to flee from Kyiv. We managed to get to Khmelnytskyi, where my family had some friends. We stayed with them overnight and the following day we went to Uzhhorod, which is almost right on the boundary between Ukraine and Slovakia. From there we went to Prešov, where [my] mother had a friend of hers [from] university. They let us stay with them for several days, although they said that we could stay as long as we wanted. But it’s not really comfortable to live with another family, for you and for the family that hosts you. 

So then we went to Germany because we knew that the conditions for refugees were the best [there]. We received benefits from the government and a lot of other things. For example, we could use public transport for free. There was a dorm for [a] local university which was allocated to refugees [where] there were refugees not only from Ukraine, but from [the] Middle East, Syria, and other [places]. It was not [just] a room, but it was an actual apartment, so we were really, really grateful.

A: Do any events of the evacuation stick out in your mind?

YM: When we were going to Khmelnytskyi, I was sitting with just [a] poker face, with no emotions, but tears were rolling from my eyes because me and my family obviously needed to leave all our stuff there.

I had only my backpack. When we were leaving our home, I had to come up with a list of things…I needed to take with me. It was just a stack of my copybooks, where I had all my notes for English, math, and programming. Those were the most valuable items for me. And I had some other things like some pieces of clothes and basic necessities. But other than that, nothing. I also needed to leave my computer, which [was a] really valuable item for me because I assembled it myself and it was my first computer. I also left a teddy bear, which really helped me [through hard times]. I really hope that one day [I] will be able to retrieve it from there somehow.

A: Could you elaborate on that?

YM: Actually, the war did not begin [on] February 24. It began in 2014. So we were displaced twice. We’re from Donetsk. In the first part of this war, when we fled from Donetsk to Kyiv, [the teddy bear] really helped me. When we arrived there we were absolutely homeless and jobless. My family decided to send me to [live with] family friends while my parents were sorting out living conditions and the like. I was 10 years old and it was a really tough experience because for months I had to live apart from my family. Ukraine was in distress because we just had a revolution. Russia had decided to take advantage of [that] situation. They annexed Crimea and directed some of their armed forces to Donetsk and Luhansk, and tried to take over regional power, although they’ve never admitted it.

[The Russian government] said the people there wanted to join Russia, but the reality was that local rebels, funded by Russia, and the Russian armed forces who were out of uniform collaborated and took over power in Donbas and other cities and towns in the region.

Basically, the people [of Ukraine] were the only reason why we didn’t lose our sovereignty then, because they really contributed to our armed forces. Many voluntarily joined them, and there were a lot of volunteers helping our soldiers. And so did my parents and me. We distributed provisions to our soldiers in Donbas.

A: Is there anything that stands out in your mind from when you left Donetsk?

YM: We fled on my birthday. I remember that I asked my parents whether a child could die on his birthday. I really asked [it], I don’t know why, but it was what bothered me. Because [of the] explosions, the armed people, it was obviously dangerous. 

When we were fleeing, I saw a lot of exploded armored vehicles, some people in body bags. I saw a [rail] bridge [that was] totally destroyed, and there was a train with a lot of…carriages hanging from the bridge.

The road was blocked and we needed to somehow get around this area. We went around by fields, which was really scary [because] we could have driven onto mines.

A: So that time you drove from Donetsk to Kyiv? 

YM: Firstly, we moved to Lyman where my grandparents live, or lived since now they’re also in Germany. We lived there for several months, and then from there, we needed to move to Kyiv. So I changed schools [several times].

A: What was the transition like to Kyiv?

YM:  It was really hard. When I entered the school my classmates were calling me a separatist and were insulting me in different ways. They really thought that people from Donbas decided to separate from Ukraine. In fact, more than half of the population fled from there. Some [people] did, but my family and I didn’t support the separation from Ukraine.

A: Was it harder than the transition to Germany or to the U.S.?

YM: Yeah, because it lasted longer. When we moved to Germany, we just had a couple of really hard weeks, but I was with my family. So it was fine, more or less.

A: Do you think there’s greater sympathy now, from German people or American people, than there was from other Ukrainians in Kyiv in 2014?

YM: Yeah. I guess that people abroad are giving more support now than there was in 2014 from other parts of Ukraine, but still, there is more support in Ukraine itself for the people. They help each other out all the time in Ukraine and help the army as well. Many [Ukrainians] provide housing for people from areas where the battles were going really hard. People distribute food or medical supplies to others who need it.

A: How closely do you keep yourself informed of new developments in Ukraine?

YM: Mostly, I receive information about the war in Ukrainian or Russian. Sometimes just for language practice, I also watch CNN, BBC, CBS, and all those kinds of media. But they either [do] not cover…[much] news [about the war], or they cover it with a huge delay.

I’ve been watching [coverage] all the time during the war. I was talking to my friends, day upon day, all the time.

A: It seems like even after the war began, your life had to keep going.

YM: [My life] paused only those nine days we fled from Kyiv…. I didn’t go to school, obviously. I was just staying at home because it was dangerous outside and nobody knew what was going to happen, whether Russian forces would enter Kyiv…[but] they…[were] destroyed.

Had [the Russians] occupied Kyiv, who knows [what would’ve happened]. They might have mobilized me, for example. It was one of the reasons why we fled…because if I had been in Kyiv, I wouldn’t have been able to [leave], because people who are above 18 are unable to leave Ukraine.

A: So how did you get out of the country if they didn’t want you to leave? You were 18, right?

YM: When we fled, I was 17.

A: It didn’t bother you that, when you turned 18, you would’ve been forced to join the civilian army?

YM: No. Because we had a surplus of volunteers to join our army. There were so many people, there were such long lines to military offices…. They were the lines like on Black Friday here.

A: Are you proud of your country?

YM: I am, yes. I know they’re such a brave people: our armed forces, territorial defense, national guard, the police forces, all of the people. They [are] standing up for their country’s sovereignty, for their home.

A: You were in Ukraine for nine days after the invasion began. In what ways did your daily life change?

YM: [The] educational process ceased completely. The main topic for discussion was the war, of course. Me and my friends were sharing photos of destroyed armored vehicles, fighter jets. And we were really, really proud when we saw in daily reports of our ministry of defense, rising numbers of destroyed armored vehicles of Russia and killed personnel.

A: Do you remember your neighborhood physically changing at all after the war began?

YM: I remember that the streets were desolated. Like no people at all. It was so weird. Like absolutely no people, very few cars driving on the streets.

A: As a civilian, is it shocking to experience war?

YM: I wasn’t shocked, probably because I saw it in 2014. My other friends were terrified, especially due to the suspense and those strikes on residential buildings in Kyiv.

There was also a threat of Russia entering the city…. Luckily, our forces prevented them from doing it. Kyiv was like a really strong fortress.

A: Did you ever lose hope for Ukraine?

YM: No, never. I knew…[when] I saw those queues to recruitment centers, I knew that those people really knew what they were fighting for. I really want other people to understand that Ukrainians are fighting not only for their country, for their sovereignty, but for the whole free world, for liberal democratic values that the U.S. treasures so much. And really it is the best indicator of what happens if you allow countries like Russia or China to do what they want to, to allow this permissiveness. Ukraine really…treasures liberal democratic values, so that’s why we do not want to join Russia.

A: Do you have any favorite places in Kyiv that you want to go back to?

YM: Basically the whole downtown. I really like it. It’s beautiful. And it never sleeps. [Also] Khreschatyk Street and Maidan Square. It is so nice to be there, and I really, really look forward to visiting Kyiv this summer.

A: Did you ever interact with Russians before the war?

YM: Yeah, but really few times. Since my mother is Russian, I have many relatives in Russia, but I’ve only interacted with my cousin and my uncle and aunt.

A: Did you ever talk to them about Ukraine or the war? Or is it like in America, where you shouldn’t talk politics or religion with family?

YM: No, we discussed it, actually. Especially this war, and we probably will talk about this mobilization because my uncle, he’s eligible [to fight]. So I don’t know what they’re gonna do.

A: We’ve been talking so much about the future of Ukraine. What do you think the future of Russia is? Good or bad?

YM: It’s going to be definitely bad. It’s going to be the worst years in their modern history, hands down. Sanctions are not going to be taken off their country. And the EU with their sanctions policy is [like] a huge ship, which is really hard to turn. Once they’ve turned it, it’s even harder to turn it back. I’m really sure that they will not ever be buying Russian fossil fuels or [other] resources. I really think that the world should take it seriously, [the] situation with Ukraine and Russia. We have so many major problems on the Earth, like deforestation, climate problems, pollution of the atmosphere [and] of the ocean. So many things to deal with.

Countries like Russia, they like waging wars or inducing wars to then sell armaments to their participants. Humanity should unite. [We should] not be [separate states] like the U.S., Russia, Ukraine, and other countries, but just one civilization to tackle those issues. If we don’t, we probably will not exist as long as we want. So Russia is a huge problem because not only do they wage wars, but other countries should also invest in their armies to protect [themselves] from countries like Russia.

A: How have you seen people on this campus interact with the war in Ukraine? Is there anything you’d like to tell them or suggest to them to do to stay informed or show their support?

YM: As for how they interact with [the] war, I believe almost nobody stays informed enough and actually keeps track of the present affairs. I don’t want to say that people should do it, but they should at least be aware of how important [the war in Ukraine] is. It’s not just a war in some random Eastern European country. It is really probably one of the most significant events globally. [It is of] paramount importance for humanity.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Aaron Goldberg can be reached at apgoldberg@wesleyan.edu.