Ukraine’s National Police shared a heartbreaking video featuring Lidiya Stepanivna, an elderly Ukrainian woman who bravely journeyed across the entire front line amidst Russian bombardment, covering approximately 10 km. Yet her determination to reach free Ukrainian territory remained unwavering. Now, she’s been provided with the necessary assistance and finds herself in a state of relative safety.
Lidiya Stepanivna is a resident of Ocheretyne, a Ukrainian village located just 15 kilometres from Avdiivka, a town occupied by Russian forces earlier this year. The home Lidiya painstakingly built with her own hands was destroyed by the Russians, leaving her relatives injured. Despite the peril, the 98-year-old woman managed to accomplish the seemingly impossible feat of escaping from the occupiers.
Throughout the day, Lydia pressed on without sustenance or hydration, falling several times from exhaustion and even dozing off. She relied on two sticks and sheer willpower to carry herself forward. Amidst the chaos of battle, the woman miraculously emerged unscathed.
“She walked out of occupation, leaning on her wooden stick,” says the representative of Ukraine’s National Police. “Come evening, exhausted and weary, Lidiya was spotted on the road by military personnel who promptly transferred her to a White Angle humanitarian police unit.” They then escorted her to a shelter for evacuees, where she is now receiving care. Police have located Lydia’s family in Kramatorsk, and her granddaughter will be coming to pick her up.
“Everything is upside down over there [in Ocheretyne – ed.]; everything has been burnt down,” cries out the elderly lady. “I woke up, and they [Russians – ed.] are shelling us.. forget about sleep. My daughter-in-law said we had to leave, and I told my son we had to flee with their daughter, my granddaughter,” explains Lidiya. “I lived through that war [the Second World War – ed.], and I will live through this war, too…” she continues, sighing. “But I have to tell you, this war is not like the previous one; back in the days, no houses burnt [where I lived], and now all you can see are houses up in flames, trees uprooted. Twice I sat down to rest [while I was fleeing]; I fell down, I was pushed down,” she utters.
“How old are you,” the policeman asks. “How old do I look,” the old lady asks, smiling. “I’d say 18 years old,” the policeman jokes. “I wish… I’m 98”.
Earlier, on April 27, the Ukrainian Armed Forces denied reports of the alleged capture of the towns of Solovyove and Ocheretyne on the Avdiivka front by Russian forces. Nazar Voloshyn, spokesperson for the Ukrainian Operational-Strategic Group Khortytsia, stated during the United News national programme that the Ukrainian Defence Forces control two-thirds of the territory in both towns. Despite various media reports, Voloshyn clarified that Russian forces have deployed reserves in the Ocheretyne area, but the majority of the settlement remains under Ukrainian control, with Ukrainian forces maintaining fire control over the area where the enemy breached. He emphasised ongoing heavy fighting but insisted that the situation is controlled by Ukrainian Armed Forces units.
On April 26, Forbes reported that Russian brigades and regiments are slowly expanding their foothold—a five-mile-deep incursion into Ukrainian territory, with its tip anchored in the village of Ocheretyne. Exhausted Ukrainian brigades in the vicinity face dire circumstances, and it’s expected they will lose several villages around the Ocheretyne axis. The main concern lies with the Ukrainian Tavriya Operational-Strategic Group, responsible for the area west of Avdiivka. This group may be compelled to retreat westward, relinquishing territory and potentially displacing hundreds of civilians. Even worse, a poorly executed retreat could provide the Russians with the chance to ramp up local assaults and secure additional breakthroughs—second, third, or even fourth ones—that could set off a larger Ukrainian collapse, akin to a chain reaction, the article asserts.
