This was just the beginning. Then came long hours of attacks, intimidation and sexual violence, which left a deep internal scar on his soul, he recalled.
From the town to the battlefield
Before the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Maryna remembered her life full of joy, especially the days when she was a teacher.
“I never thought there would be a war. I reassured everyone, saying that maybe there would be some provocations, but there would be no war,” he said.
Today, walking through the school hallways, half destroyed and half repaired, she seems transported to happier times, when her soul and ears were filled with the laughter of children.
Seeing the destruction shattered his idyllic memory and the unimaginable idea that his village could become a battlefield.
“I never thought that Russia, such a giant, could attack our beautiful Ukraine. I just couldn’t imagine it.”
A classroom in a Kherson school is in ruins.
When the violence came
Maryna tells how quickly everything happened. His first encounters with Russian forces were terrifying.
“We saw their actions with fear, how they went from house to house, how they took people’s belongings, how cruelly they behaved.”
when marina When he was left alone, the terror intensified.
“For the rest of my life, until my last day, I will remember the feast of Saints Peter and Paul, July 12, because that was the day I personally suffered.”
After entering his house, the attack began.
“He threw me on the couch and started choking me. He pressed so hard with his fingers that for two weeks I couldn’t eat solid food.”
“The torture continued. Then he started to tear off my clothes. I resisted as long as I could, but our strength was not equal,” he explained. “The psychological trauma will stay with me for a lifetime. It is painful to even remember this.”
Maryna shows a scar on her stomach, the result of the attack at her home in Kherson, Ukraine.
Life under constant threat
Maryna spent weeks hiding in basements and kitchens of abandoned houses, trying to survive. Public services had disappeared. She cooked in secret, avoided discovery and feared every knock or shadow.
“At that time we had no electricity, no water, no gas. I didn’t tell him I told them where I got water or food, because I was afraid they would move there too.”
He describes the presence of Russian military forces as “constant, oppressive and dehumanizing.”
“They carried automatic weapons everywhere. It was very difficult to feel safe, even in my own home.”
Escape and the long road to safety
After days of terror, Maryna managed to leave Kherson with a humanitarian convoy, bruised, injured and exhausted. Their journey to safety took days and passed through stretches of roads, checkpoints and minefields.
“When we arrived in Ukrainian-controlled territory, we got out of the car and kissed the ground.”
Medical care revealed broken ribs, wounds from the assault, and illnesses contracted while hiding in basements. With the support of the UN and NGOs, he embarked on the road to recovery.
Damaged books pile up inside a destroyed classroom in Kherson, Ukraine.
From survival to defense
Today, Maryna works to ensure that survivors’ voices are heard and that recognition, rehabilitation and protection are available to all survivors of conflict-related sexual violence.
“This is a terrible crime, a crime against humanity. I want peace so that nowhere in the world will people experience such horror.”
Her story is a reminder of survivors’ pain that translates into support for others in the fight against violence and a clear demand for confidential, trauma-informed care, strong support networks, and understanding that the deepest scars of war are often invisible and can take a long time, or even a lifetime, to heal.
Maryna walks past a destroyed school in Kherson where she used to teach.
With the survivors
Survivors of conflict-related sexual violence often face stigma, fear of retaliation, and lack of access to services. Maryna emphasizes the importance of professional and safe support.
Programs provided by survivor networks and survivor-led organizations with the support of the UN, the Ukrainian government and local NGOs are essential to help survivors like Maryna regain dignity and rebuild not only their lives, but the lives of the entire community without being re-traumatized.