‘We couldn’t let go’: War fractures young Ukrainian family
BRASOV, Romania — University student Vlada Yushchenko was in her teens and three months pregnant when she hugged her husband goodbye and walked to Moldova on her own.
Now she’s in Romania, one of the millions of Ukrainians forced to flee Russia’s invasion. Her baby, Daniel, was born there eight months ago and still hasn’t met his father Yaroslav, who is 21 and, like most men of fighting age, prohibited from leaving Ukraine.
The young family’s separation is an all-too-common story among the estimated 110,000 Ukrainian refugees in Romania.
“Nobody expected the war ... and that we weren’t going to be together,” said Yushchenko, who has settled for now in the central Romanian city of Brasov where she gave birth and shares a two-room apartment with Daniel, her mother, and her terminally ill grandmother.
“For a long time we couldn’t let each other go,” said Yushchenko, 19, recalling the couple’s separation at the border. “We really didn’t want this, but at the same time we understood that we have to do this for mine and the baby’s health and to be safe.”
As the war drags on, the lack of contact between the baby and his father rankles. Still, smartphones allow the family a sense of connection.
“Sometimes we burst out in tears (but) we are very happy when we see each other on video,” Yushchenko said. “I called (Yaroslav) and sent a photo as soon as I was able to” the day Daniel was born, she added. “It was very emotional, he was very happy, it was unforgettable.”
Seeing footage of the war play out in Ukraine, and knowing her husband is there, only adds to Vlada’s worries.
“It’s very hard to watch the news and see ... the missile strikes, the deaths,” said Yushchenko, who between taking care of the baby continues her studies remotely at the Kyiv Polytechnic Institute. “I pray every day that everything will be alright … in the city where (Yaroslav) lives and in general.”