Woman who helped sister escape fears for her parents’ safety as town runs out of medicine
A woman who helped her sister escape Ukraine said she fears for her parents, who remain in Russian-occupied territory.
Zhenya Dove, 33, who lives in Leith, Edinburgh, said her parents are too sick to travel from their hometown in Southern Ukraine called Kakhovka which lies in the Kherson region.
The married student said she is relieved that her sister and nieces are now safe in Edinburgh after they fled to safety from the “horrors” of their home country, where they constantly heard rockets and supplies started to run low.
But she added that days can go by when she cannot reach her parents Iryna and Victor who are struggling to get vital medicine.
"Sometimes I go for a few days and can’t get through to them. It’s hard not to panic. They are both over 60 and have a heart condition. My mum also has thyroid problems. But they are running out of medicine. If things get desperate I have told them to go to a Russian pharmacy if necessary. But I don’t know if they will do that.
"They are stubborn. I’ve been saying you have to get out. They said we can’t, it's our home. I try to keep their spirits up. But I feel so helpless. That’s the worst part. It’s heartbreaking.”
Ms Dove moved to the UK 13 years ago and considers the city to be her home. When her sister Marina and daughters Anastasia, 12, and Oledsandra, 18, arrived in Edinburgh, she cried with relief.
Before they fled, Marina was in Kyiv with her daughter Anastasia but her 18-yearold daughter Oledsandra was studying in another region.
“My sister, a restaurant manager, was helping cook for the army. Her life was destroyed in a day. But there she was sleeping on the concrete floor of a bomb shelter and making Molotov cocktails.
"We tried to get my niece on the train to get to her mum. A few hours went by with no contact. I saw on the news the station had been bombed. But she got out with the help of a friend who had space in their car. The journey was horrific; explosions going off around them, miles of cars queued at the border.mysistersaidasoldierwith a gun approached her car. She wasterrified.myniecegotsome wificoveragesotheyfoundeach other. They felt so lucky.”