![]() “I needed to cancel all my calls, my business meetings,” she said. This is the twenty-first century how is this possible?” I was confident that my flight would go ahead. “I didn’t believe until noon that this was really happening. There was a big traffic jam, and all the shops were closed.”Īnna, who was scheduled to depart on a weekend trip the following day, checked her phone and saw more than 100 messages and calls from friends around Ukraine and from abroad. “I didn’t realize anything had happened until I saw the panic outside. She woke at 7:30 AM on February 24 to start her normal daily routine, just a couple of hours after Russia announced the start of its “special military operation” in Ukraine. “We never thought would go in this direction.” But neither she nor anyone in her professional or personal circles heeded such advice. Ukraine’s government advised citizens early this year to prepare what Anna described as “alarm bags” and other precautions in case of war. “Between the situation with Crimea and the previous escalations in the east, it’s been quite complicated.” “We’ve had a difficult relationship with Russia for many years,” said Anna, who has family in both countries. I thought this was for demonstration, for show. “I definitely had anxiety about the situation, but I never imagined this kind of assault or invasion. However, like many Ukrainians, she was unconvinced of Russia’s intentions. Growing tensions in the days leading up to warĪnna was aware of the Russian military presence along Ukraine’s borders. Before her escape from Ukraine, she had never met her manager or colleagues in person. ![]() I had been working for Bayer in Ukraine for a long time, and I wanted to gain international experience that would eventually benefit my country.”Īnna started working with her new team remotely in August 2021 and originally planned to relocate to Gdańsk in mid-March. I wasn’t dissatisfied with my life or my salary. “I did not plan to leave Ukraine because something was wrong. “I’ve always had a drive to explore new things, including a desire to work internationally and gain different perspectives. ![]() “I’ve been with for more than five years,” she said. “Everything you needed was really close,” said Anna.ĭespite her happy life in Irpin, Anna was eager for professional growth, so she applied for and was offered a role in Bayer’s corporate service center in Gdańsk. Many Irpin residents worked in Kyiv, and they chose to live in Irpin because it was just 18 miles (30 km) away, with commute times often under one hour. It was a beautiful place with many parks, cozy streets and fresh air.” “I remember how I felt when I first came to Irpin,” she said. However, there were numerous signs of support for Ukraine, including appeals on business doors for supplies ranging from canned food to clothing to small electronics.Īnna moved from central Kyiv and purchased an apartment in the leafy, family-filled suburb in 2018. ![]() Although it was only a couple of weeks into Russia’s war with Ukraine, I saw few indications of the refugee influx that has overwhelmed so many other cities in Poland. Gdańsk is a quiet town of nearly 600,000 on the Baltic Sea. I visited her in Gdańsk, Poland, not long after she arrived, where she graciously agreed to share the story of her escape from fighting in her neighbourhood to a new life – ironically, a life she began a week earlier than planned due to the invasion. The airport and nearby suburbs including Irpin were the subject of intense fighting between Ukrainian and Russian forces since the invasion began on February 24 until just last week.Īnna and I have been in touch regularly since the war began. Anna lived until last month in Irpin, Ukraine, a few miles from Antonov International Airport, previously home to several of Antonov Aircraft Company’s An-124 Ruslans and its recently destroyed An-225 Mriya. One of those friends is Anna Kovalchuk, a talent acquisition specialist for German pharmaceutical giant Bayer AG. I’ve been fortunate to stay in contact with some of them. Three years ago, I spent several months on a consulting engagement in Kyiv, where I made a few local friends.
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