How the Russia-Ukraine War Affected My Cousin’s Life

War was something I only saw on the news.

It felt far away—loud, scary, but distant.

Until my cousin called me from a basement in Ukraine.

That was the day everything changed.

He Went to Ukraine for School

My cousin always wanted to study medicine.

He worked hard, got accepted into a school in Kyiv, and left home full of hope.

We were so proud of him.

He would send us videos of snow, photos of his hostel, and updates about classes.

He said the people were kind. He said life was good.

Then… the war started.

The First Call

I still remember his voice.

It was shaking.

He said,

“I heard bombs today. Real bombs. I did not know where to go.”

He had not eaten all day.

The shops were closed.

The streets were empty.

The school was locked.

He was hiding in a basement with other students, sharing a small pack of biscuits and praying the shooting would stop.

Escape Was Not Easy

For days, he tried to leave.

Trains were full.

Buses were cancelled.

And there were checkpoints everywhere.

At one point, he walked for hours in freezing cold just to find shelter.

He told me,

“I saw people helping each other. Strangers. Just trying to stay alive.”

It broke me.

This was not just news anymore.

It was my family.

He Made It Out

After weeks of fear and no sleep, he crossed the border into Poland.

He had nothing but a backpack and a passport.

No shoes. No money. No plan.

But he was safe.

Life After That

He never went back to school.

His dream of becoming a doctor? On pause.

He now works small jobs to survive, living in a country he never planned to be in.

Sometimes we talk.

He says he is grateful to be alive.

But I can hear the sadness in his voice.

War did not just take away safety.

It took away his normal life.

Why I’m Sharing This

Because when we see war on TV, we see numbers.

Explosions. Maps. Headlines.

But behind every headline is someone like my cousin.

A young person who just wanted to study, to live, to dream.

War is not just a story.

It is someone’s whole life—broken, changed, and rewritten forever.