Lidiya’s second life: surviving a cluster munition in Kharkiv

A thousand snakes hissing and one life saved 

On March 7, 2022, Lidiya was standing in line outside the bank in the village of Derhachi in Ukraine - like many others, waiting for her pension. The queue was long, and she had to wait for several hours. Suddenly, they heard a sound like ‘a thousand snakes hissing.’ Later, she learned that’s what cluster munition sounds like. One of the men nearby shouted, “Run!” 

“But where could we run? We knew there was a basement nearby, but we didn’t make it on time. The blast wave knocked all of us down,” Lidiya said.

Layers of clothing, layers of survival

When Lidiya regained consciousness, she saw her arm covered in blood, her coat soaked, and her hand twisted in an unnatural position. There was heavy silence; no one could get up. She gathered her strength and started shouting for help. Soon, the doctors arrived. She saw how they sorted people, those alive and those who weren’t. They began placing everyone on stretchers and evacuating them.

“At the hospital, I received emergency care. I had multiple fractures in my right arm and many shrapnel wounds - one piece of shrapnel is still lodged in the bone of my heel. I spent three days in intensive care due to cardiac arrest caused by the trauma,” Lidiya said. She continued, “The doctor told me I was fortunate. I had been dressed warmly, like a cabbage in many layers, because the night before we had spent time hiding in a cellar from shelling, and I was freezing. That thick clothing saved my life.”

Rehabilitation restores hope

After several surgeries, Lidiya was transferred to a temporary shelter - returning home was too dangerous. There, she received support from various humanitarian organisations. Later, she was offered a rehabilitation course with Humanity & Inclusion (HI), and now she is in the final stage of recovery. Rehabilitation gave her confidence and enabled her to maintain her physical condition through exercise.

“I’m deeply grateful to Oleksii, Humanity & Inclusion’s physical therapist, who helped me regain function in my right arm and restore my range of motion. Now I can take care of myself again, even write. I’m genuinely thankful to everyone who stood by me and helped me through this journey,” Lidiya said. “Of course, our main wish is for the war to end. My home has been severely damaged by shelling, but I really want to return to my hometown.”