Sofiia Tretiak, a PhD student at NUI Galway, hails from Ukraine. She has been living in Ireland for the past year and a half, and is passionate about art. Following the catastrophic events that occurred on February 24 in her home country, Sofiia is concerned about her family who are in the two biggest Ukrainian cities, Kyiv and Kharkiv, currently the “hotspots” of hostile bombings.
Sofiia’s mother, Olena Tretiak, courageously escaped from Kyiv on February 28. She embarked on a five-day-long journey from her hometown all the way to Galway. The daunting trip from Kyiv to Lviv, then Poland, then finally to Ireland, did not stop Olena from making her escape. Sofiia tells me that “it was not at all safe” for her mother to leave Ukraine.
On the day of Olena’s departure, Ukrainian civilians were warned not to leave their homes because any vehicle on the road, excluding military vehicles and ambulances, would be “considered a threat.”. Olena had no choice but to walk on foot to the train station in Kyiv, a challenging trek for a 70-year-old woman carrying heavy bags. After finally arriving at the train station, Olena found an air of chaos awaiting her.
“The ticket system was down, people were getting on the train if they saw an opening”, Sofiia tells me. Due to her “short” and “weak” frame, it was difficult for Olena to muster the strength to board the packed train. Luckily, a stranger “dragged her” inside. Inside the train, Olena was met with another atmosphere of sheer panic. There were “not enough seats on the train” to accommodate the number of passengers aboard. All of these people were “just trying to escape somehow”, the trains were being used as a means to “rescue as many people as possible.”. At night-time, the train’s lights were “turned off”, and passengers were told to “pull down the curtains” and “lay down on the ground” because there was a high risk that the “Russian army would shoot the train down.”.
Olena was terrified throughout this harrowing journey, but she was determined to reach safety. She is still experiencing severe “back pain” from her escape, her daughter tells me, but she is grateful to finally be able to “eat and sleep”, again. While in Kyiv, Olena could not eat or rest at all. “When bombing and tanks are all around you, you don’t think about food,” Sofiia says, “you’re only thinking about survival.”
More challenges await
Olena’s escape from Ukraine was a massive feat, but now her survival in a foreign country entails more challenges. Sofiia tells me that things are “better than Ukraine” here for Olena, but her living conditions are by no means suitable. Although Olena is safely reunited with her daughter, surviving off Sofiia’s student scholarship is simply not feasible for the pair.
Moreover, Sofiia’s father, brother, niece, and grandmother are still trapped in Ukraine. She tells me about the tragic state of the city, with “buildings with nine floors” reduced to “dust”. While on video call with her brother, Sofiia tells me she can see military tanks outside the windows.
Sofiia thinks that Ireland will be faced with a surge of Ukrainian refugees soon. Countries like Poland and Romania are “very welcoming to refugees, but they’ll soon become overpopulated.”. “Eventually, Ukrainians will start to spread to Ireland” in hope of finding refuge. She believes that Ireland needs to be “better prepared for receiving refugees”, so they can better accommodate those looking for a “roof over their heads.”.
An artistic endeavour
Luckily, Sofiia’s artistic talents have given the family a ray of hope. Starting as a lockdown-hobby, painting quickly became one of Sofiia’s passions. Now, she uses her talent as a way to help her loved ones. Sofiia has commenced an exhibition of her watercolour paintings in 56 Central, hoping to sell her work to raise funds to support her mother, as well as other family members who want to flee Ukraine.
Sofiia’s personal efforts to help her family should not go unnoticed. With the funds raised from her art exhibition, Soffiia looks forward to welcoming the rest of her family, who are sure to follow Olena to the safety of Irish pastures. Her hope for her family’s safety lies in her watercolour paintings.
Sofiia’s beautiful artwork is on display in 56 Central Restaurant Cafe. If you are looking to purchase a custom-made painting, Sofiia is happy to paint one. She is also selling more of her pieces that can be viewed on her Instagram page: @watercolor_by_sofi
