A Ukrainian teenager returned to the apartment her family fled at the beginning of Putin’s invasion to find beds unmade, an unfinished pastry and phone that had been on charge for a year.
Anna Malygon from Kharkiv, northeast Ukraine, has shared clips of her abandoned home after returning a year later after the war began.
The 19-year-old was stunned to arrive back in her home only to find everything was exactly the same as it was left 18 months ago when she left to study aboard.
Anna had no idea when she left home when she first left home, however, as a result of the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24 last year, it became difficult for her to get home unharmed.
Once she was able to return to Ukraine earlier this month, Anna was surprised to see that the building was still standing.
Anna Malygon, 19, from Kharkiv, northeast Ukraine, shared clips of her abandoned apartment after returning home a year later after the war began
Once she was able to return to Ukraine earlier this month, Anna was surprised to see that the building was still standing
Anna’s video showed mouldy dishes left in the sink and a phone still on charge in her family’s Kharkiv home
Anna told NeedToKnow.online: ‘It was heartbreaking. My apartment was dirty, cold and really smelly.
‘There was mould everywhere and food in the fridge that had expired one year ago.’
‘Nuts and cereals were filled with worms. The water was rusty. There was unfinished coffee and a pastry that my mum didn’t finish because the war started.’
Anna filmed a video of her return home for a TikTok video, showing mouldy dishes left in the sink, a phone still on charge, and unwashed laundry on the floor by the washing machine.
One of the clips showed her mother’s bed unmade after she ‘woke up because of bombs’.
For the Ukrainian woman, it was a traumatic and harrowing experience to return to her family’s apartment and see the personal belongings she would use when living there.
Anna added: ‘I left Ukraine to go study abroad and I never thought I wouldn’t be able to come back.
Anna said: ‘It was heartbreaking. My apartment was dirty, cold and really smelly’
As a result of the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24 last year, it became difficult for her to get home unharmed
‘Thank God my house was still standing and not bombed, like many others.’
Anna was met with a heartbreaking sight when she arrived home from Toronto, Canada, where she now lives – buildings were crumbled, windows were smashed, and familiar sites were reduced to rubble.
During her trip, she visited her favourite shopping centre, a cafe, her old school, and a beauty salon – only to find them all destroyed.
The video has since gone viral on the social media app, being viewed 25.1 million times and gaining 2.3 million likes.
She shared the video of her home to raise awareness of the impact of war on people’s lives as its tragic anniversary arrives.
The TikToker visited and photographed her favourite places that have been wiped out by Russian bombings
The 19-year-old added: ‘Thank God my house was still standing and not bombed, like many others’
The comments section shared feelings of shock and empathy for Ukrainian people who have had to suffer from the disastrous impact of the war.
One social media user commented: ‘Terrifying how life was abandoned one day and disrupted. I’m sorry.’
A second added: ‘It’s just now hit that it has been a year’.
Another person on TikTok said: ‘This is hard to process’.
“It’s really been a year since this started wow”, a fourth user commented.
Anna shared the video of her home on TikTok to raise awareness of the impact of war and it touched millions who shared their sympathies in the comment section
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