Ukrainian actress Olena Svitlytska said she is considering leaving Ukraine after a night missile attack on Kyiv to protect her children. The star of the films Slovo House and Unfinished Romance made the statement on Instagram, noting she wants to keep her children safe from missiles launched by Russians almost every night.
Svitlytska wrote that for the first time during the war, she felt a sharp desire to protect her children and leave the country. She stated that she never thought she would say this out loud because she loves her native land, her family, and her people, but described a helpless feeling of despair from missiles flying over her roof.
She wrote that today a strike hits a Nova Poshta warehouse, and tomorrow it could be one's home, adding that no one knows whose turn is next. Through anxious sleep, she questioned how she would carry her children out during an attack and whether she would have enough strength to lift both sleeping children, noting that a nearby blanket felt too heavy to lift.
Concerns over motherhood and air alerts
The actress added that she constantly thinks about whether she is a good mother and whether she is doing the right thing by staying at home.
Svitlytska noted that her heart beats fast and breathing exercises stopped working long ago, leaving her unable to calm her heart for the past two years. She said she has grown used to anxiety, recalling that the first sound of an air alert was once eerie, like the Siren Head monster from children's horror stories taking her away to kill her. She added that the alarm now means Russia wants to kill them in real life, questioning if she is a good mother for choosing to live in the country despite everything.
