(This story is part of the refugee exodus coverage from Ukraine to Romania in March 2022)

Siret border crossing is buzzing today, as hundreds of refugees from Ukraine are crossing over.

Tanya’s car is chock full: besides Tanya herself, It’s her 3 kids, her mom, a ginger cat Lapot, their jovial giant schnauzer Sharon Stone, the mutt named Fryer, the family rat Sharik on the dash board and two horses in the hitched trailer.

Tanya had to leave 18 of her other horses behind in the village outside Kyiv. She used to run a horse farm, teach local kids to ride horses. She was not gonna leave she says but when the shell exploded behind her house she knew it was time to go.

That, and because there’s a baby growing inside her too. The joy that wasn’t expected at her age but made the whole family happy.

And then a shell exploded behind her house. So her husband said now.

They’ve been driving for 2 days straight now. Through the fear of hearing about the civilian cars being shot at. Through the flashbacks of seeing every male kid 15 and up executed in the next village over by the enemy. Every kid she taught to ride her horses from the time they were toddlers.

She doesn’t know what’s ahead. She doesn’t know when she’s gonna see ger husband, a career military man now at war. She doesn’t know where she’ll end up having this baby. Or whether she’ll even get to see what used to be her home.

But right now her car is full.

And she has to keep moving forward.

#UkraineWar #SiretStories