Behind enemy lines, Ukrainian woman survives with her chickens

After surviving World War Two and the fall of the Soviet Union, among other seismic events, Zinaida Makishaiva now has her chickens to thank for getting through her most recent ordeal

Borodyanka, Ukraine Photography by Zohra Bensemra.
Reporting by Joseph Campbell. Reuters. April 17, 2022

Excerpt:

“The doors were blown out. I took the chickens in because I needed something to eat. I didn’t have anything to eat except for potatoes, just that. There is no water, no gas, nothing.”

During the days of occupation, Makishaiva braved crossfire to fetch pales of water from a nearby well.
When food was scarce, she still had the eggs laid by her own chickens. Her family was far away, as her one son and three grandchildren live in different parts of the country.

The Russian troops came in three waves, she said, the first being the most violent. One day several soldiers entered her house, demanding that she stay in the cellar.
“‘Get in the cellar, you old bitch!’ (the Russian troops said). I told them: ‘Kill me, but I won’t go’,” said Makishaiva.

Thirty days of sleepless nights are now a thing of the past, with the help of the herb valerian.

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