Ukrainian women endure over 2 years of war, looking with courage to the future

By Beyza Binnur Donmez

GENEVA (AA) — Despite the enduring hardships of being caught in years of conflict, Ukrainian women continue to steadfastly fight for the future of their country and their communities.

Iryna, head of a maternity center in the central city of Dnipro, told Anadolu that the facility has been out of service since an attack on Dec. 29.

Standing in front of the damaged hospital where she has worked for 35 years, Iryna said they had saved the lives of 12 mothers, four newborns, and fellow staff members that day.

Since the beginning of the war with Russia, a series of rules, measures, and precautions have helped Iryna and her team ensure the security of the hospital and its patients, whom they would, for instance, transfer to the safety of the basement in the event of an attack like the one that forced it to suspend services.

"We even had eight deliveries during that time, and we have set up all the necessary equipment so mothers can feed their babies, we can have deliveries, and we can keep them safe," she said.

Iryna described the day when the war began as a "huge tragedy" for Ukraine's entire population and continued: "But I can tell you that our women, Ukrainian women, are optimists. They're looking into the future with bright eyes."

"Of course, it's understandable that their husbands or their sons are somewhere (fighting), but still, they have hope and dreams of peace," she added.

- Living alone in a warzone

Svitlana, a resident of Dnipro who lives next to the center, said it was a shame that the facility was no longer functional, adding that she was lucky her apartment was facing the side opposite of the attack that caused this.

Speaking to Anadolu, she said she was at home the day of the strike.

"My dog and I heard the first explosion that erupted nearby. We went to the corridor to hide and then there was a second explosion."

Recounting what happened next, she said: "It's kind of lucky for me that my doors and my windows were facing the other side from the impact. But still, I felt the explosion and I felt the shaking. After the explosion, we saw that the impact damaged the maternity care center, where women would no longer be able to deliver babies."

Underlining how "frightening" it could be to reside in a warzone for women like her who live alone.

"My two daughters fled Ukraine. And it was a very hard journey for them all the way to Canada," she said. "Of course, they're safe, and they have their children with them. They do not feel and see what is happening at the moment. But for me, I do miss them a lot and I do miss my grandkids."

For people who live alone, returning home tired means finding comfort in sleep, when the wailing of sirens is distant enough to ignore, she said.

"It's good that I have a dog who warns me about the sirens that go off," she stressed, adding: "But I can tell you that it's very frightening. It's very scary and difficult."

The maternity center was severely damaged on Dec. 29 as it was hit by one of the nearly 160 overnight strikes by Russia, including hypersonic air-launched ballistic missiles, across different parts of Ukraine, including Dnipro, Kharkiv, Kyiv, Lviv, Odesa, and Zaporizhzhia.

Russia launched its war on Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, just over two years ago.