Lyusya, a kindergarten teacher, has made the resolute decision to remain in her homeland with her family. Her home is a sanctuary for her own and numerous other families as they try to return and rebuild their lives in the village of Blahodotne. She and her husband give shelter and care to all the wandering animals seeking refuge in the rubble of the Mykolaiv countryside.

 

Lyusya’s life was irrevocably altered when russian forces decimated her village, leaving no habitable spaces. For three harrowing months, all the residents of her village lived moving between their basements and their homes in a desperate search for safety as russian artillery and bombs rained down on them. Eventually,  they couldn’t leave what underground shelters existed in the village at all. Lyusya’s small cellar housed 11 people for over a week and in the constant shelling, all of her family’s pets were killed. In a small let up in the fighting, all of the inhabitants fled Blahodotne and could not return until the Ukrainians liberated the village 8 months later. 

 

Despite the profound trauma they endured, Lyusya and her family are determined to remain on their land and rebuild what has been destroyed. They now share their lives with five dogs and a multitude of cats, who, in the warmth of their compassionate home, are afforded every comfort and freedom.