A former Ukrainian resident who now resides in Ballito with her South African husband, spoke about the horror conditions her family has to endure in the war-torn country.

Nataliia Savelieva’s life has changed drastically since February when the Russian invasion cut her off from her family. Fires, bomb shrapnel and discarded bullet casings now litter the streets that she previously called home.

Originally from Yalta, Crimea, she lived in the currently besieged Ukraine until she was 34. With an early childhood in the now dissolved USSR, Nataliia lived in Crimea until its annexation by Russia in 2014.

“I ran a small fitness studio with two business partners in Simferopol. After Russia took over, I stayed for the three months they called ’the celebration period’, during which the currency changed, and people needed to update their documents.”

“Then there was a sudden change and they told me I have a week to leave my business. I left for Kyiv with a single suitcase to my name,” she said.

Nataliia refers to Ukrainians as a helpful and kind people, and she was quickly able to open a business in Kyiv, where she stayed for almost three years.

It is was in Kyiv at the end of 2016, that she met her husband, Jacques Venter. She moved to South Africa in 2017 to live with him in Johannesburg. The couple moved to Ballito in 2020.

They have visited Ukraine multiple times, as most of Nataliia’s family and many of her friends remain there. This all changed in February when Russia invaded the country, cutting her off from her family.

“It has been heart-breaking to see what is happening. I have often been unable to sleep and feel nervous and tense all the time, constantly checking the news,” she says.

Nataliia’s sister, parents and grandparents all live in Kyiv and Crimea, but the ability to communicate with them has been limited.

“In Crimea, no one is willing to say what is actually happening because all of their communication is checked by the Russian government and anti-Russian sentiment could get you imprisoned.

In Ukraine, the signal is so bad that we can only speak with voice notes – never over the phone,” says Nataliia.

She has since tried to figure out ways to help from South Africa, raising money for charities which provide water and other staples to Ukrainians.

She says that infrastructure has been targeted in raids, leaving most services, including water and electricity, infrequently available and that Ukrainians and Russians continue to die in the conflict daily.

“On Sunday, my friend’s son-in-law (28) was delivering water in Kyiv when he was killed by a sniper,” says Nataliia.

She is of the opinion that Russian forces are preparing to retreat from Kyiv, only to focus on other targets.

“It is victory day on May 9 and I am told that Russia expects to have taken over cities by then so that they can celebrate. This is far from over.”