“A Place of Fear Became a Place of Hope”: How Yaroslav from Sumy Overcame Fear After a Russian Missile Strike
Yaroslav is not afraid of Shahed drones. Not only when he hears them, but also when he sees them in the sky. If they are flying high, they will keep going. If they are low, it is time to take shelter. He knows the two-wall rule well—staying where two walls separate you from an explosion, and, at just 11 years old, reacts to air raid alerts with a calmness beyond his years. You might think he has simply grown used to them in his hometown of Sumy. But that is not actually the case.
On April 13, 2024, Yaroslav was in the city center when two ballistic missiles struck. His parents and psychologists from the Voices of Children Foundation helped him cope with the psychological aftermath of the Russian attack. They also taught him how to respond appropriately during attacks.
The Petrov family has lived in Sumy all their lives. When Russia’s full-scale invasion began, Yaroslav’s father joined the National Guard, while his mother had to leave her job so that the children would not be home alone during attacks. Eleven-year-old Yaroslav and eight-year-old Polina study online.
They do not let their younger daughter go far from home: she usually plays outside in the yard under her mother’s supervision. Yaroslav, however, already knows all the safety rules well, so his parents give him more independence. He rides his bicycle to visit his grandmother, who lives in a residential area of private houses. He also trains seriously in rowing and gets to practice on his own.
He’s 11, but he’s already quite independent, responsible, and attentive. If an air raid alert starts while they’re out on the water, they head to shore and then make their way back to the rowing base. Following the safety procedures has already become automatic for him. That’s both a good thing and a bad thing, because we never imagined we would be living through times like these. The war has forced both Yaroslav and Polina to grow up quickly,
Their lives changed when their father joined the military. The family used to always be together. Now, he is often away, and the children miss him terribly. But whenever he is home, it feels like a real celebration.
We don’t want the children to become consumed by the war. We still want them to have a childhood. We celebrate special occasions as a family and go out and have fun together. We support all their interests and hobbies,
Polina takes dance classes. Yaroslav is passionate about robotics. Every Sunday, he goes to classes in the city center. April 13 was no exception. By then, the classes were routinely being held in a shelter.
It had only just begun when the strike happened.
My husband and I were at home when we heard the first explosion. By the time the second one went off, we were already getting into the car to go and find our child. There was a huge column of smoke, there was no signal, and we couldn’t call anyone,
The city center was crowded: it was a day off and a holiday, Palm Sunday. Yaroslav’s younger sister and grandmother would usually accompany him to his classes and stay nearby for a walk. But that Sunday, his grandmother and sister decided to go to the market instead. That decision saved their lives.
The family is now convinced that fate simply protected them. Between 10:16 and 10:20 a.m., the missiles struck two buildings, while debris tore apart a city bus. Thirty-five people were killed, and more than a hundred were injured. Just a few dozen meters away, Yaroslav was inside a shelter.
I was running along a road that was literally covered in broken glass. It wasn’t until I got home that I noticed it had cut right through my shoes, so I threw them away. When we found Yaroslav, he was sitting with the group and their teachers. They were trying to distract the children. It’s terrifying to remember, because the strike hit the neighboring building. The missile tore through it all the way down to the basement,
As she led Yaroslav out of the building, his mother covered his eyes: many people had been killed in the square. Meanwhile, the injured were already being brought into the shelter where the children had been staying, both to protect them from possible further strikes and to provide first aid.
Yaroslav’s first reaction to the attack was fear, although he held himself together bravely and did not cry.
He is usually a sociable, open boy, but after that Sunday, he withdrew into himself and could not talk to his parents about what he had been through. His mother was deeply concerned and began looking for psychologists. A teacher recommended that the family contact the Voices of Children Foundation and gave them the Foundation’s contact details.
Just three days later, Yaroslav and his sister Polina went to the Foundation’s Sumy center for individual consultations.
Yaroslav trusted the Voices of Children psychologists from the very first session and gradually began to open up. His mother was there with the children throughout the consultations. She was listening, talking, and memorizing the exercises so they could practice them at home as well.
Afterward, we did the exercises at home every day. We learned calming techniques and breathing exercises. Psychological support is very important. People need to find ways to cope. They need to seek out psychologists and not be embarrassed to go for consultations. It’s necessary. And not only for children, but for adults too,
Lidiia speaks honestly with her children: she does not hide the truth or keep quiet about the danger, and she believes that this, together with their work with psychologists, has helped them face reality calmly.
I feel that they’ve become more resilient. I had been thinking for a long time that we should see a psychologist and get some support for the children. But for some reason, I thought we should do it once the war was over. But no. The time to take care of our mental health is right now,
The children continue to attend Voices of Children. Now they take part in group sessions.
Yaroslav has not given up robotics either. The Foundation’s psychologist helped him not just talk through what he had experienced but also take an important step—returning to the place associated with his fear. Yaroslav went back to where the strike had happened, but this time he saw it through different eyes.
Among the wreckage of the destroyed building, Yaroslav noticed a cabinet that had remained intact and a small blue-and-yellow flag. It was these details that gave him a sense of hope. That day, Yaroslav told his mother: “This gives me strength.”
The Voices of Children regional center in Sumy is located at 27/1 Illinska Street. At our regional centers, children can find a community of like-minded peers, receive psychological support, and take part in creative activities and games.
Anyone who needs support can also contact our free psychological support helpline for children and parents at 0 800 210 106.
If you share the mission of Voices of Children, please support the Foundation’s daily work with a donation.
Author: Kateryna Bessarabova.