Greetings, my name Is Olesia Denysenko. I was born on December 31, 1970, and have 2 children: a son (27 years old) and a daughter (16 years old). Our family comes from the once charming and very cozy city of Bucha, which is located in the Kyiv region.
I have a higher legal education and work as a human resources inspector. I didn’t change my place of work, although because of the war, I had to take a break for 3 months. But now the company’s activities have been restored.
Before the war, we had a stable and peaceful life. Everything was set up, and there was enough free time for my favorite hobbies: sports and growing plants. However, the combat operations and their consequences have made their own adjustments…
The war started very suddenly for us… 24.02.2022 my family and I were at home. It seemed like a normal morning: everyone was going about their business. But suddenly we heard the sounds of explosions, which quickly changed plans, and just plunged us into a new reality. At first, we didn’t want to leave our home — we hoped that everything would end soon.
However, it didn’t happen as expected. On the 4th day, we realized that we had to run away from the city as quickly as possible. However, then it was already dangerous to go, so we tried to wait it out. But after 2 weeks of occupation, my nerves couldn’t stand it. We decided to evacuate to a safer place on the territory of Ukraine. I will never forget that feeling when I had to go: it was somehow incomprehensible and so painful.
We didn’t waste any more time and left in our own car on the first day of the announced evacuation. However, the exit of civilians from the occupied city was disrupted by the invaders, who simply blocked 50 buses. At that moment, we realized that we could not believe their words. So, we decided to take a chance, because it was very dangerous to stay. It was in those days that the shootings and tortures began in Bucha… All this we learned from the Telegram. Words cannot convey the horror that every resident of the city felt. It is not surprising that there were a lot of people who wanted to leave by car.
We decided not to wait for the next “green corridor”, did not look for an escort of the Red Cross or the police. We went just in a column of residents, fleeing from war and arbitrariness… When the invaders saw us, they were even confused, because the column was very large. That’s probably why they decided not to shoot. As we passed, we saw the weapons in their hands and understood that they were in full combat readiness. We literally held our breath, because every second they could open fire on us. We didn’t stay in a safe city for long. After all, I was so drawn to go home… So almost immediately after the de-occupation of Bucha, our family returned home. What I saw caused a shock. I remember crying because I was filled with anger and pain. However, I didn’t have time for my own emotions. After all, we need to restore and fill our beloved city with life. Now I’m working again. We also do house repairs with the whole family after the invaders.
Needlework helps me put my emotions in order a lot. I started knitting in high school. My older sister showed me how to make the first loops. She studied by herself, looking through profile columns from Soviet magazines. At first, we used ordinary wooden sticks. In those days, knitting needles were extremely difficult to buy, because we lived in a small town, so almost everything was in short supply.
Today, knitting has become a very iconic hobby. In the process of creating the next product, I calm down and even get pleasure. I like to do needlework, when watching useful TV shows or listening to music. It’s very distracting and helps you dream. I imagine how peace came again in Ukraine, and my dear husband and father of my children returned from the war. I really want our family to be together again…