Maryna would wake up to the sound of little Serhii crying. He was terrified of the dark. Terrified that his mother would disappear again. More than once, he had seen strange men in military uniforms take her away. Every time, she would return late at night—exhausted, beaten, and covered in burns. He had overheard fragments of his mother’s stories: how they tortured her with electric shocks, how she screamed in agony, how they tried to force her to confess to things she hadn’t done. 

Serhii was born shortly before the start of the full-scale invasion. The war entered their home along with men who destroyed all of the boy’s documents and ordered his parents to get him a Russian birth certificate. Otherwise, they threatened, the child would be taken away. 

Every night, as Serhii fell asleep, Maryna couldn’t stop thinking: what if next time she didn’t come back? What if one day those men actually took her little boy away? After yet another interrogation, the occupiers handed the woman her sentence: over 20 years in prison for “high treason”—and the confiscation of her child. Maryna didn’t wait for morning. She grabbed her son, packed only the bare essentials, and fled. 

Her journey to freedom was long. She stayed in hiding, looking for any possible chance to escape to Ukrainian-controlled territory. Save Ukraine helped her get out. But her husband remained behind. The occupiers took him to a cemetery for another “interrogation.” His voice trembled when he finally managed to call: “I’m not allowed to say anything.” 

Today, Maryna is safe. Serhii is right beside her. But he is still terrified of letting his mother out of his sight, even for a second. He still wakes up in the middle of the night asking the exact same question: 

“Mom, they aren’t coming back, are they?”