Delawarean in Ukraine speaks with DETV about how he and his family fled for their safety
The war in Europe has not only left a lasting impact on the country of Ukraine, but also the world. Russia invading Ukraine has interrupted the lives of many and shattered the peace that the neighboring countries once had. With hundreds dead and thousands living in fear and shock, life will never be the same.
Atnreakn Alleyne a Delawarean, his wife Tatiana, and children moved to Ukraine one year ago to be closer with his wife’s family. DETV’s Ivan Thomas had the chance to speak with Atnreakn about what he and his family are going through and how they escaped.
What was your experience during the first night of the invasion?
Atnreakn first describes what happened on the morning of February 24th outside of their home. Living 20 miles outside Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine, while sleeping with his son, he awoke to the sound of a bomb blast that would change his life and the lives of many others forever. He describes the week of the invasion as “terror” and says that he could not have predicted something like this to happen. As the sounds of more blasts continued to ring, Alleyne and his wife knew that they had to quickly set a plan in motion for their family’s safety.
In the interview, Atnreakn explained how him, and his family had to take cover coming back from the store as they saw dozens of Russian helicopters fly over their residential neighborhood. Covering his terrified children from the flares coming out of the helicopters he said, was a scary sight to see.
“I just see fire coming out of a helicopter and we took cover. The kids were crying, we’re all just messed up.”
All this happening on the day before his young daughter’s birthday. Alleyne explained how they still had to figure out a way to celebrate her birthday while being under the stress and pressure of finding a way of safety for his family. Having to quickly leave, they were only able to take a few possessions and left the rest behind.
Next steps?
Atnreakn and his family are currently in Lviv, near the border of Poland and are living in a 3-bedroom apartment where he says someone graciously allowed them to stay. Right now, Alleyne and his family are safe, but he says that if the war evolves and expands more westward, they will have to cross the border.
“I don’t know how this is going to evolve. It could be as you fear, that you have to move on. We can’t go back to our things, it could go back to our life as we were living it.”
Alleyene spoke about his kids and how they will no longer be able to go back to the schools that they were attending. “My daughter had her first solo dance performance coming up,” he said. “It’s heart breaking for a lot of reasons, but we’ll do what we need to do to make sure we’re safe, and the kids are also safe.”
Alleyene expressed his gratitude for all the support that he and his family have received on this journey. “The kindness has been amazing,” he said. He also expressed how it brought tears to his eyes to see the level of courage and togetherness that people have had for one another during these difficult times.
What can we do?
As people’s lives are being turned upside down, the level of need in Ukraine is significant. Many of Alleyne’s family members are still in Ukraine, in an area that is under heavy attack. Living in a summer cottage for shelter, they wrote saying that they are running out of food. Hundreds and thousands of people have left Ukraine and are now refuges all over Europe. Alleyne urges people to continue to use their platform to raise awareness and support the people of Ukraine.
Alleyne ends by thanking all those who expressed their love, prayers, and support for him and his family.
To listen to the full interview click the link below:
https://detv.podbean.com/e/one-on-one-with-ivan-thomas-special-guest-atnreakn-alleyne/
