Horror as pensioners reveal terrifying escape from Putin invasion – 'men stripped naked'

At some point, the family knew they had to leave – and so in July 2022, Anna decided to follow her daughter to comparative safety. When talking about her escape from Nova Kakhovka in the Kherson region, Anna tears up.

She recalls: "We passed 17 checkpoints, spent the night in the field for one night, because there was a long traffic on the road. The Russians didn't let us pass, they checked everyone, shook all the bags, boys' phones, checked laptops, we slept under the open sky in the field. There were no toilets in the field, we went to the bushes. There was no water, nothing. People fed us in the field."

"I have a very painful story," she admits. "I [still] have a son there. He is 51 years old. His wife left with the kids. But he couldn't leave. My heart aches. I don't know how he is. I don't know anything about him.

"My house, my daughter's house. Everything is ruined."

By cutting off Ukrainian internet providers, television and mobile connection, Russia has created an information blockade for millions of Ukrainians living under occupation. As a result, Anna hasn't talked to her son for more than 10 months. She lives in constant fear that he might no longer be alive.

Valentyna was forced to leave the occupied city of Mariupol with her son Eduard in April 2022. They left with empty bags and just their documents in hand. To get to Zaporizhzhia, they had to pass 13 checkpoints. At one of them, Russian soldiers forced all the men – including Valentyna's son – to strip and stand naked in the cold.

She recalls: "It was really cold outside and they asked the men to take off everything and leave just their underwear."

This, a Hope for Ukraine spokesperson explains, was a common procedure for men attempting to escape Mariupol or other occupied cities. Russian forces regularly conducted full-body inspections, checking for tattoos with Ukrainian symbols. They also thoroughly searched all electronic devices and phones, and used special equipment to look for any patriotic images or connections to the Ukrainian military.

If Russian forces found anything suspicious, the men were often detained, abducted, or taken to basements for imprisonment. Their fate could vary: some were taken captive, some were beaten and later released, and others were killed.

Luckily, Valentyna and Eduard managed to escape. To reach Ukrainian-held territory, they had to be quick, as passing through the checkpoints is extremely dangerous. Many evacuees, she says, got shot or captured by the Russians on the way. After making it to Zaporizhzhia, they took the train to Lviv, where they were met by volunteers. But some of Valentyna's relatives still live in Mariupol. Old and sick, they didn't manage to evacuate.

Before retiring, Anna worked as a computer data entry operator. Valentyna worked at various factories in Mariupol, as the city has always been highly industrial. During the Soviet era, as a result of her long and difficult labour, she was awarded a large three-room apartment in a good district of Mariupol – an achievement she was very proud of. 

But since their arrival in Lviv, the lives of both have never been the same. They are now forced to live in a shelter for internally displaced persons.

"We live here and rejoice. We have clothes, shoes, food," says Valentyna, adding that she still receives her pension, which "never arrives late".

"Alarms are always going off, every day, and every time we are terrified. Our hearts are beating," Valentyna says.

Although she accepts her reality and doesn't like to complain, she wishes that no British pensioner ever has to go through war again, losing their homes and children as a result.

"Because now, we are not living, we are surviving," she says. "And that's a difference."