The last hug: Emotional moment mum says goodbye to daughter and returns to Ukraine

10 March 2022, 17:55 | Updated: 10 March 2022, 20:46

A mother and daughter said goodbye possibly for the last time as the mum heads back to Ukraine.
A mother and daughter said goodbye possibly for the last time as the mum heads back to Ukraine. Picture: LBC
Matthew Thompson

By Matthew Thompson

How would you decide between never seeing your parents again, or your own children?

Listen to this article

Loading audio...

An impossible choice, you might think. One that you'd hope never to have to make. But one that the war in Ukraine is forcing on many families, as they decide whether to stay put, or flee.

At the train station in the Polish border town of Przemysl, thousands of refugees pour off trains arriving from the Ukrainian city of Lviv. But the queue for the one train heading in the opposite direction is decidedly smaller.

In it, we meet Rita, and her mother Ruslana. They are Ukrainians, from the city of Mykolaiv, in the South of Ukraine, and firmly in the eye of the storm. Rita lives in Poland, and her mother often comes to visit.

But this time she's come for another reason. To drop off her youngest daughter, and their cat, in the safety of Poland. Having done that, she is heading back. Back to her husband. Back to her own mother. But also back to the Russian bombs.

Read more: Chelsea in crisis: Sponsors Three pull out as Abramovich hit with sanctions

Read more: Russians flee Ukrainian ambush: Tanks rolling on Kyiv retreat after artillery barrage

Rita and Ruslana

"My place is in Ukraine," says Ruslana, speaking in Ukrainian as her daughter translates. "I can't leave my family, but also I'm also organising a psychological helpline for those who need it."

Isn't she scared to go back into that maelstrom? "No. I was scared when my daughter was there, in the thick of the fighting. But now I’m not. The scariest thing is to never see my children again. That's a real possibility."

At this point, it becomes painfully apparent that Rita is translating for her own mother as she says these words. Before our eyes, the awful reality dawns upon mother and daughter alike. Rita's lips begin to tremble.

"It was an impossible choice," Ruslana continues. "But the right choice was for children to go on living. At least if I die, I'll do it knowing they will live on."

Rita on her Mum returning back to Ukraine

The silence is heavy with the resonance of those dreadful words. Tears in their eyes, mother and daughter embrace. Like they've done dozens of times at stations just like this. But never before in the knowledge that this time may just be the last.

How do you even deal with a possibility so awful? I ask Rita, now alone. She pauses. Swallows the lump in her throat.

"Deny, deny, deny."

And hope?

"Yes. And hope."

More Latest News

See more More Latest News

Newry Magistrates' Court

Man, 61, charged with non-recent sexual offences in Northern Ireland

Drivers queuing in Dover on Friday morning

Holidaymakers hit with 2-hour Dover ferry waits amid strong winds, as 2.6m hit the roads for Good Friday getaway

The attack happened on a train in south London

Teenager charged with attempted murder after south London train stabbing, with victim still in critical condition

Mother Natalie Pinnell

Mother left in tears after daughter with complex needs 'erased' from school photo

Amber Rudd and Mary Beard have both been nominated to the Garrick Club

Amber Rudd and Mary Beard among seven women nominated for membership of all-male Garrick Club

Exclusive
Anneliese Dodds said Labour would make sure local people have 'skin in the game' with tackling inequality

'Rebuild has to start from ground up,' Labour's Anneliese Dodds says, and 'local people must have skin in the game'

Mohamed Mansour has been awarded a knighthood

Conservatives accused of 'cronyism' after donor who gave £5 million awarded knighthood in surprise honours list

Exclusive
Justin Welby recalled his experience of coping with his father's drinking as a teenager.

‘It was utterly isolating’: Archbishop of Canterbury recalls harrowing childhood with alcoholic father

More than 2 million drivers are set to hit the road on Good Friday.

Easter Carmageddon: Over two million drivers to hit the road on Good Friday after Storm Nelson travel chaos

Michael Gove has slammed the water firm as a 'disgrace'.

Thames Water bosses branded a ‘disgrace’ as Michael Gove tells firm ‘not to punish consumers’ for its failings

South Africa Bus Crash

Girl, 8, the sole survivor as 45 die in bus crash off South Africa bridge

A spokesman has denied reports the sausage dog could be banned.

The wurst news is over: Germany denies claims of sausage dog ban

Israel Palestinians Britain Aid

UN top court orders Israel to open more land crossings into Gaza

Greece Confidence Vote

Greece’s government survives no-confidence motion called over rail disaster

A council has had to apologise following the incident.

Fury as parents offered version of school class photo without complex needs pupils

Conjoined twin who shot to fame with sister on The Oprah Winfrey Show marries army veteran in private ceremony

Conjoined twin who shot to fame with sister on The Oprah Winfrey Show marries army veteran in private ceremony