Mykola Matvienko's Perilous Relocation
Mykola Matvienko, 69, was forced to flee his home village of Kamian in the Chernihiv region for the Kirovohrad region, a journey made treacherous by Russian shelling and landmines. He became the last person to evacuate his now-ruined village, driving 700 kilometers in his old car while transporting 18 chickens, a rooster, and his dog, Zhulia. This arduous trip highlights the extreme measures civilians must take to find safety as the conflict displaces millions across Ukraine.
His vehicle, a 43-year-old Zhiguli, broke down in Kyiv with a failed clutch. Mykola recounted:
“The clutch went—I couldn't change gears. I pulled into some side street and stopped right in the middle of the road. About 20 minutes later, two police cars arrived. They asked what happened, and I told them I’d broken down.”The police helped tow his car to a service station, escorting the man and his chickens with their emergency lights flashing.
Mykola's Life Before the War
Mykola Matvienko was born in Kamian village, part of the Novhorod-Siverskyi community in Chernihiv Oblast. After finishing 10th grade, he moved to Donetsk to train as a welder. He later served in the army at a Ural spaceport before relocating to Khartsyzk. In 2019, he returned to his native village to care for his elderly mother.
He suffered a profound personal loss just days before the full-scale invasion began. “In Donetsk, a bus was blown up. I believe she died there. But they wrote it was COVID. That's what the death certificate said,” Mykola explained, referring to his wife's death. “I was getting ready to travel for the funeral. I pulled out onto the highway and saw tanks rolling in. It was February 24. I saw the tanks, turned around, and went back home. So I never made it to the funeral,” he added.
His new home in Kirovohrad region had belonged to his brother's wife's parents and had stood empty for seven years. Alongside his animal companions, Mykola brought a refrigerator, a washing machine, and two sacks of potatoes for planting. His story is a stark reminder of the war's human cost, where ordinary people must salvage what they can and rebuild from nothing.