Escape from Ukraine: From Odessa to Chisinau – and back

Ukrainians can still come to neighboring Moldova from the southern city of Odessa. Some bring their children and parents across the border – and then drive back.

12-year-old Timofej sits on a curb and calls his father, who stayed at home in Odessa. He tells his dad that there are cameras and microphones all around him, and they want to know what the situation in Ukraine is like. Mom didn’t want to talk, so he took over the communication: “You now have full responsibility for Mom and the others,” his father tells him.

Timothy has just crossed the border from Odessa with his mother Lika, grandma Tatyana and his baby brother Kirill. They want to visit friends in Bulgaria, a 10-hour drive ahead of them. The boy, who has been learning English since he was four years old, says that he still doesn’t have to do without his schooling: It starts at half past eight in the morning, five to seven subjects every day. “We have normal classes, but online. French, math, geography – but without sports.”

His grandmother stands proudly next to him and listens as her grandson continues to report about his teachers. Some are in Odessa, some in other cities in Ukraine, “but one of them is abroad, but I don’t know where.”

A village without a protective basement

With her mother Svetlana and little brother Vanja, 14-year-old Tanja has just walked across the border crossing in the extreme south-east corner of Moldova. They come from near the heavily bombed southern city of Mykolaiv. There was very heavy fighting, reports Tanja, heavy shelling. They would not have had their own cellar in their village to seek protection from Russian attacks.

Her mother looks motionless at the white minibus that she and her children are about to board to take them to the capital, Chisinau.

Rosian Vasiloi is the head of the Moldovan border police. In the early afternoon he is in Palanca, only a few meters away from his Ukrainian colleagues. How many people came that day? The border police chief gave an amazing answer: “Today almost as many people left the country as came.” So far there are 1,500 who have entered the country and 1,400 who have left.

There is still regular shuttle service between Chisinau and Odessa. The small white minibuses are well occupied.

Back to husbands

The two sisters-in-law, Oxana and Liliana, drive back to their home town of Odessa, which is an hour’s drive from the border, in a Mini Cooper. Why? “We love Ukraine. We left the children in Moldova and are going back because our men are there.” The two grandmothers drove their daughters and two grandchildren, two and four years old, to relatives in Moldova right after the start of the war. Now they would have brought them new clothes and toys for the little ones before they go back again.

The two sisters-in-law still rate the situation as safe: in Odessa it is more or less okay. In addition, they had prepared before the war and stocked up on food.

They alternately interrupt each other, laughing and crying, and when asked how they feel about going home, they reply: “We support Ukraine because our men and boys are there.” They wanted to help the army as volunteers.

Ila, who is sitting in the car behind, also wants to go back to Odessa with her two small children. They spent three weeks together with their grandmother in Moldova. “I hope things calm down; you should think twice about coming back to Ukraine. But I have hope.”