“I fear for my family,” says ex-Ukrainian Ballito resident

For Ballito Ukrainian Nataliia Savelieva, life has changed drastically since February when the Russian invasion cut her off from her family.

Fires, bomb shrapnel and discarded bullets now litter the streets that the Ballito resident called home as recently as 5 years ago.

Originally from Yalta in the disputed territory of Crimea, she lived in the currently besieged Ukraine until she was 34.

With an early childhood in the since dissolved USSR, Nataliia remained in Crimea until its annexation by Russia in 2014.

These early warring signs would prove to be eerily prescient given the current conflict that wages across Ukraine’s eastern reaches.

“I ran a small fitness studio with 2 other business partners in Simferopol. After Russia took over, I stayed for the 3 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 needed to leave my business in a week. I left for Kyiv with only a single suitcase to my name,” she said.

Despite the difficulties, Nataliia refers to the Ukrainians as a helpful and kind people, and she was quickly able to open a business in Kyiv.

Here she stayed for almost 3 years, enjoying the beauty and history of the city.

It is also where she met husband Jacques Venter at the end of 2016 and moved to South Africa to be with him in Johannesburg in 2017. They then moved to Ballito permanently in 2020.

Together the couple 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 heartbreaking seeing what is happening. I have often been unable to sleep and feel nervous and tense all the time, constantly checking the news.”

Nataliia’s sister, parents and grandparents all remain between 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 the Ukraine, the signal is so bad that we can only speak with voice notes – never over the phone.”

This has been incredibly difficult and Nataliia has tried to figure out ways to help from South Africa, raising money for charities which provide water and other staples to Ukrainians.

Infrastructure has been targeted in raids, leaving most services, including water and electricity, infrequently available.

And lest we forget, 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. In fact, now that Russian forces are retreating, it has got even worse. There has been a scorched earth policy, where soldiers loot and kill anyone they see.”

As Russian forces prepare to retreat from Kyiv, it is only to ensure they capture other targets, says Nataliia.

“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.”

While the world watches from afar, waiting on sanctions to hit home, many Ukrainians fight for survival daily.

To support them, you can donate to the Starlife Foundation (charity.starlife1.com) which supports the Ukrainian resistance, or Kodacka Voda (kodacka-voda.com) which delivers free water to children, the elderly and pets in Kyiv.

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