Three years on: A journey of hope and resilience for two Ukrainian women in Lithuania

Vilnius, Lithuania - The war that erupted three years ago shattered lives and displaced millions of Ukrainians. Normality, once taken for granted—as Ukrainians looked to a future full of hope — was shattered in an instant. Ukraine was invaded in February 2022, forcing hundreds of thousands from their homes, while those who remained behind lived in fear as bombs rained down and air raid sirens became the new reality.

Families were left with little option but to abandon their homes and seek refuge in foreign lands to protect themselves and their children. Strangers in unfamiliar lands, they faced the daunting task of rebuilding their lives from scratch—learning new languages, acquiring new skills, and adapting to unfamiliar cultures.

Amongst the throngs of people forced to flee, two courageous women had to make the difficult decision to leave Ukraine as war came to their doorstep. Julia Smyrna arrived in Lithuania in autumn 2024, carrying not only the weight of her own loss, but also a fierce determination to protect her children and rebuild their shattered lives. Their resilience is a testament to the capacity of the human spirit to endure even the most unimaginable suffering.

Arriving in Klaipeda from the Dnipropetrovsk region of Ukraine, Julia fled with her two young children—a three-year-old daughter and a baby son, not yet a year old.

“Every day of war felt like an unimaginable ordeal, the constant shelling and explosions made normal activities virtually impossible. Going out for a walk with the children was fraught with danger, and worst of all was night-time, spent cowering in corridors and cellars amidst the constant barrage of shelling and air raid sirens,” Julia recounts.

Prior to the war, Julia worked in a pharmacy and lived in a comfortable home. But when a missile hit just 50 meters from her house, she knew that it was too dangerous to stay. “Life was a constant state of tension and fear. Even the neighbourhood playground was hit by a mortar, and it was a miracle that we were not there at the time”, she shares.

Since the war began, many kindergartens in Ukraine were forced to closed, isolating children from their peers and social interactions. Once Julia arrived in Klaipeda, a beautiful coastal city on the Baltic Sea, it was there for the first time in years that her daughter was able to attend school and socially reconnect.

Like Julia, Liudmyla Zelena arrived in Lithuania in October 2024 from Nikopol, a small town near the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant. Her daughter and grandchildren had already relocated to Lithuania, so the transition was made a little easier.

"It took us more than a day to reach Lithuania. My daughter had been pestering me to come, but I kept waiting for the war to end. In our town, so many people lost their lives with many more wounded. It’s heartbreaking to see our towns, the places we love, destroyed," Liudmyla shares tearfully.

Having worked for the National railway company for 36 years, Liudmyla is now retired. "I really like living in Lithuania’s second city, Kaunas. I feel calmer and safer here," she says. "The only thing I do miss is the sun—it seems that we have more of it back home," she adds with a smile.

Since the full-scale invasion began in February 2022, more than 90,000 Ukrainians have fled to Lithuania. IOM Lithuania has provided support to over 21,000 refugees.

"IOM Lithuania has been committed to supporting Ukrainians over the past three years, striving to meet their evolving needs. Our assistance has encompassed cash benefits, pharmacy cards, Lithuanian language courses, psychosocial support and integration initiatives. We have observed that, after overcoming many of the initial challenges, Ukrainians are now seeking ways to rebuild their lives and establish a sense of belonging in Lithuania," explains Eglė Staškūnaitė, Head of the Migrants Assistance and Crisis Management Unit at IOM Lithuania.

Julia and Liudmyla are settling into life in Lithuania. “We feel safe here. Of course, we want the war to end as soon as possible and dream of going home, but we understand that it’s not possible right now." Julia recounts.

Both women still cling to hope of returning to Ukraine and building a better future for their children.