- May 4, 2024
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Palm Coast resident Kseniya Edwards felt powerless when she heard about the atrocities occurring in the Ukrainian town of Bucha, where both of her grandmothers were living.
Anna, Edwards' maternal grandmother, flew to the U.S. last month. Her father's mother, Nelya, 83, has returned to her apartment in Bucha. In poor health and suffering from post-traumatic stress, Nelya is in no condition to travel, Edwards said.
Hundreds of bodies of civilians have been found in the vicinity of Bucha since the Russians withdrew from the town at the end of March.
Anna, 77, arrived in Miami, where Edwards' parents live, on Aug. 19. She had taken a train to Poland and flew to Miami from Warsaw. Anna came to Palm Coast on Aug. 26 to spend some time with Edwards on her birthday.
"This was my present for myself, basically, to get my grandmother here," Edwards said.
Edwards was born in the Ukraine. She moved to America with her parents in 1998 when she was 13. Like many Ukrainians who live in Flagler and Volusia counties, Edwards felt outraged and helpless when Russia invaded her birthplace.
Russia attacked Ukraine on Feb. 24 and three days later took control of Bucha, a town on the outskirts of Kyiv. Edwards was finally able to reach Anna on her cell phone in late March. At the time, Nelya, who lived on the other side of town from Anna, had been left alone in her apartment building, which had been smashed up.
"Of course, there was no gas, no electricity, it's freezing cold outside. I was like, 'Listen, the other grandma, she's in her apartment, but everybody's been evacuated.' So, I know my grandmother, Anna. She's ready to go get her. I said, '... please don't go. There's so many shootings on the street.' She told me, 'OK, I won't go.' Well, that was Sunday. And on Wednesday of the following week, I found out that she did not listen to me."
— KSENIYA EDWARDS
"Of course, there was no gas, no electricity, it's freezing cold outside," Edwards said. "I was like, 'Listen, the other grandma, she's in her apartment, but everybody's been evacuated. They wanted to take her with them, but she just felt so scared, and she didn't want to trust anybody, so they left her behind.' So, I know my grandmother, Anna. She's ready to go get her. I said, 'I know you can tackle this, but please don't go. There's so many shootings on the street.' She told me, 'OK, I won't go.' Well, that was Sunday. And on Wednesday of the following week, I found out that she did not listen to me."
Edwards did not hear the whole story until after Anna arrived in America. Anna covered herself in a white bedsheet and set out for Nelya's apartment. A 10-minute drive took an hour by foot. Anna walked passed bodies in the street. She found a decapitated body that she later found out was the 17-year-old son of a friend of hers. Anna later helped her friend recover the body.
Anna walked back with Nelya to the house owned by Edwards' parents in Bucha. It has a fire pit where they were able to keep warm. They walked through parks and woods. Anna did not want to walk through town where Nelya might see the bodies, Edwards said.
According to an Aug. 8 Washington Post story, Bucha officials said 458 bodies were found, of which 419 bore evidence of being shot, tortured or bludgeoned to death.
People who have evacuated Bucha are slowly returning, Edwards said. Nelya is back in her apartment.
"There was lots of cleaning, so they had to get her new front doors, because they were completely busted all out. They had to get her a new window, and then her building got electricity and water," Edwards said.
Eventually, Anna wants to return to the Ukraine, because it's always been her home.
"She's just not going to give up," Edwards said. So, she's just a warrior at heart, I guess. This lady is not going to disappear."
Edwards said she and Anna were walking through the aisles in the Palm Coast Target store recently.
"I asked her, 'Do you feel the difference?'" Edwards said. "'There are no sirens, no planes over your head that are dropping bombs.' She turned around to me and said, 'yes.' I mean, that is surreal. We take that for granted, because we don't know what it's like."
