Unfortunately for 54-year-old Svetlana Ginzhul, her soldier husband has not made contact with her for over a week. Every time she grabs her phone, she does so in the hopes of seeing a message from Dmitry, her loving husband.
According to Ginzhul, one of the last things that her husband had said to her was a plea for her to leave Ukraine. However, Ginzhul and her friends are still hopeful that her husband is merely busy defending Ukraine against Russian forces.
When Russia’s President annexed Crimea back in 2014, the former policeman Dmitry signed up for the Ukrainian military. So, when the Russians invaded Ukraine, the world of the couple was completely overturned in a single night.
Every day, Svetlana feels the stress and anxiety of all the things that could possibly go wrong. But despite all of that, she has still served as a shining beacon of hope for her people.
A Sign of Hope
“I don’t want to show that I’m scared. It is not good to panic. I believe that if you think positively, positive things will happen.”
These are the words that Svetlana utters against the deafening sounds of guns and bombs exploding in the backdrop. Any other person in Svetlana’s position would probably find it much easier to just give in to the despair and lose all hope. But this strong-hearted mother of three is doing her part to make sure that everyone’s spirits are always lifted.
Rather than wallowing in her sorrows, Svetlana has turned a negative situation into a positive one by opening her home to her neighbors in the village of Luch. Many of her neighbors visit her home and stay in her basement to seek shelter and protection from Russian bombs.
A Russian missile managed to penetrate the roof of Svetlana’s barn just a few weeks ago before completely destroying the entire structure. However, the basement and its contents were still safe and sound.
“If this rocket can’t get through then we should be safe tonight,” remarks Svetlana.
Because of her generosity and her heroics, the people in her village have started referring to her as the “Mother of Luch.”
Unity in Despair
Luch used to be such a thriving neighborhood, but many of its structures and luxurious houses are completely deserted nowadays. Buildings are tainted with bullet holes and ballistic impacts.
Residents of Luch have reported several different Russian tank sightings in the neighborhood. This has prompted many of the residents to leave and seek safety elsewhere.
However, despite the fact that many people have deserted the neighborhood, there are still 100 civilians who have stayed in their homes. And a lot of them have turned to the generosity of people like Svetlana.
The community is stronger now because they are coming to each other’s aid and helping one another despite the adversity they’re facing together.
What do you think of Svetlana and her actions? What would you do in her position? Would you still stay, or would you rather leave?
Sources:
