MARBLEHEAD — When Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, Annie Collins was watching her television, listening to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelinsky tell his country that he would stay in the country and support his people. Afterwards, Collins said that she wanted to do something to help Ukraine.
Two weeks later, she met Svitlana Danshyna during a workout in a gym, and a bond between the two was formed. Though she was forced to leave everything behind, Danshyna and her son have persevered.
On Monday, she started a new job as a property manager in the Boston area, and her son currently attends Village Middle School as a seventh grader, playing on the school’s volleyball team.
Since meeting her, Collins has helped Danshyna land on her feet and is amazed at what she has accomplished.
“What she did in 12 months was pretty damn incredible,” Collins said. “I think so highly of her, and I’m thrilled I had the opportunity. I have done a lot of volunteering through retirement, but this has been the most rewarding I’ve ever had, and I love her dearly.”
Danshyna, a Ukrainian refugee who fled the country shortly after Russia’s invasion, came to Marblehead through the United with Ukraine program after a grueling months-long journey to escape her war-torn homeland.
On Monday night, the Marblehead Democratic Town Committee gave Danshyna a platform to share her story at Abbot Public Library.
Committee Chair Kathy Hempel read an excerpt from a journal that Danshyna kept during her travels.
Danshyna grew up in the city of Kharkiv, located just 20 miles from the Russia-Ukraine border. During the first few days of the war, Danshyna and her 11-year-old son spent a few days at their friend’s house. With no basement in their home, they needed to move to a safer place in case of attacks. They then went back to their home, where they spent most of their days in the bathroom in the middle of the house because it was the safest place to be.
Just days into the war, her husband went to the store to stock up on food supplies and returned with nothing.
“Every time I cooked and served to eat, the portions were smaller than usual,” Danshyna said in her journal. “I gave my son only two cookies and some tea. He was confused. He did not understand why and what was going on.”
Collins and Danshyna, along with Hempel, fought back tears throughout the journal reading.
Working in critical infrastructure, her husband was required to work every day despite the war raging on. Both Danshyna and her husband worked for the government, and she worried that if Russia invaded their city, they would be interrogated.
“I was very much afraid that I would have to communicate with the Russians if they came, and we would definitely have to give his and my place in city government,” Danshyna wrote. “I knew that he would be killed almost immediately.”
With Russian forces closing in, Danshyna and her son were forced to flee to central Ukraine, leaving her husband behind. Fortunately, she said that she is still able to speak with her husband, who still resides in Kharkiv, via Zoom today.
Prior to leaving, they could hear the sound of bombs striking another town just ten miles away. Minutes later, those sounds began to get closer until they were right on top of them.
“We heard an eerie sound. All of the windows and walls in the house trembled. We couldn’t hide it from our son,” she wrote. “Something exploded very close. We were all very frightened.”
The next morning, Danshyna and her son left.
For the next 16 hours, they were only able to make it 190 miles with the heavy traffic of people trying to leave the country. Curfews were beginning to be put in place, and they could not travel at night, forcing them to spend some nights in the car.
When they arrived in western Ukraine, they boarded a train, packed shoulder-to-shoulder, that they rode on for 24 hours, with no bathrooms and no food. After fighting to step off the train, she asked an attendant how they could get to Poland, who said that they wouldn’t be able to leave for days.
She tried trains, buses, and even taxis. Each one was full and would not take any more passengers.
Finally, she was able to receive help from friends who had escaped on the first days of the war to get across the border into Poland on March 8, 2022. They spent the next three months in Warsaw before receiving a sponsorship from her sister-in-law for the United with Ukraine program, started by President Joe Biden in April 2022.
The journal excerpt ended with Danshyna echoing the words of her grandparents, “If only there was no war.” Afterwards, she presented pictures taken throughout their journey, showing the overcrowded transit stations and the desperation of those trying to leave.
Her story captivated those in attendance, receiving an astounding applause. Danshyna continues receiving substantial support from the Marblehead community, learning the English language, and is currently enrolled in online classes at Holyoke Community College.
Danshyna hopes that the United for Ukraine program receives an extension to allow her to continue building her new life in the U.S.
