A train journey across Ukraine brought Tetiana to Finland

Fleeing the conflict in Ukraine by train

Tetiana Stepanova, who fled from Ukraine to Finland in early spring 2022 together with her adult daughter, remembers the day of departure vividly: the train travelling from Kharkiv to Kyiv was filled with people of all ages. Makeshift seats built from buckets and wooden planks served as benches. At night, the lights in the train were turned off so it could travel safely across the country without fear of bombings.

- I kept thinking that I might never return home. None of us understood then what war truly means, Tetiana recalls.

The youngest passenger was a five day old baby. Tetiana has often thought about that child afterward — a life that has begun entirely in the shadow of the conflict.

The war forced her to leave behind the life she knew

Before the conflict, Tetiana worked as an actress in theatres across Ukraine. - The theatre was my whole life, she says.

Leaving was not an easy decision: in addition to her beloved theatre work, her husband — who had been sent to the front — her family and the familiar home were left behind.

- I didn’t want to leave my husband or my elderly mother, who couldn’t travel because of her fragile health. I asked my husband: what if we never see each other again?, she recalls, wiping away tears.

Finland became her new home because Tetiana’s husband had previously worked in the country as a seasonal worker at an apple orchard.

When my daughter and I arrived in Finland, my husband’s employer and his family were there to welcome us,” Tetiana says.

A new life was built piece by piece with the help of the Finnish community

Almost four years have passed since she left Ukraine, and over those years everyday life in Finland has gradually settled into its own rhythm. In Lohja, Tetiana found the local branch of the Finnish Red Cross, whose volunteers helped her establish a new daily life. - We received laundry detergent, warm clothes and advice. All the help we needed came from the same place, she says gratefully.

In Tetiana’s neat but modestly furnished apartment, every item has a story. Almost everything — furniture and belongings — was donated: the rug and the blanket on the bed from her employer, wool socks from a neighbour.

- I remember every giver. These items remind me that someone wanted to help. I am deeply grateful to all of them, she says.

Support against loneliness and hope for the future

Tetiana’s husband was injured at the front and is currently waiting for a decision that would allow him to come to Finland to join his wife. They speak on the phone daily when the situation in Ukraine allows it. Still, Tetiana sometimes feels lonely.

- I have received plenty of material help. But people who are alone also need support and company. Loneliness can be heavy even when everything else is fine, she reflects.

When loneliness strikes, Tetiana heads out among people. She has found support in Red Cross activities such as knitting groups and language circles, where new friendships have formed. - I learned how to knit the heel of a sock. Small things — but they reminded me that I am not alone, she says.

Tetiana describes the future as uncertain but hopeful. She dreams that Ukraine will one day be as safe as Finland. She hopes for peace and the chance to work in theatre again — perhaps here, perhaps back home in Ukraine.