UKRAINE
Young Couple Tells of Ordeal Fleeing Their War-Torn Home
Reliving nine frantic days
By Diane C . Walsh Editor
Elmar Aleskerova was assembling a crib for the baby he and his wife Jeanie were soon expecting , when Russian forces bombed Kharkov – shattering their world .
That fateful morning Feb . 24 when the young couple looked out their window , they saw the yard was full of smoke . Friends told them the war had begun and they should head for Western Ukraine . “ We tried not to panic , but our hands were shaking and our brains refused to work . I kept thinking about the fact that we had an empty gas tank ,” Elmar recalled .
Jeannie , who was eight months pregnant at the time , tried to pack for them . “ I just didn ’ t understand what to put in ,” she said recalling the fear and anxiety of not knowing where they were going , how long they would be or if they would ever be back .
It took them nine days before they finally crossed the border into Poland . Every minute of those days is seared in their minds . “ Shots were
The Aleskerova family share their supplies with their Staffordshire Terrier , Patrick during their harrowing escape . fired at us ,” Elmar said . “ I was sure we weren ’ t going to make it out alive . I don ’ t know how , by some miracle , we made it .”
From Poland , they made it to Latvia , where their son , Adam was born . Then in September they flew to the United States and were reunited with Jeannie ’ s sister , Marina Rogova , and her parents . Marina , a clinical director of a medical program in Manhattan , emigrated years ago . She brought her parents over in 2021 . When the war broke out , she was desperate to bring her sister , Elmar and their newborn to safety .
Through her work , Marina knew William Dalton , a former mayor of Interlaken and a retired vice president at the International Flavors and Fragrances Inc . Dalton told COMMERCE Magazine about the young couple ’ s plight .
Elmar , who is a 2D animator , hopes to find work quickly . His dream was always to come to the United States . “ It ’ s a country of possibilities and it ’ s safer than Ukraine and far from Russia ,” he said . His wife knows their future is here . Still , Jeannie is worried about her relatives . “ Every day there ’ s bad news from Ukraine . … I ’ m afraid for them . It ’ s difficult for everyone .”
Jeannie ’ s aunt and uncle , Sveta and Vitaly , help them get out of Kharkov the day the bombing began . Vitaly worked in Kharkov and offered to pay for their gas because the young couple only had their rent money in dollars and could not find anywhere to exchange it for local currency . The trio piled into Elmar ’ s car with the couple ’ s Staffordshire Terrier , Patrick , for the trek to Okhtyrka , where Sveta was waiting .
As they drove , they heard a deafening sound and the car was rocked . An apartment building shielded them from a rocket but a nearby house was destroyed . Elmar and his friends then used their cell phone to create a chat room to share information on safe roads and places to buy gasoline as they all tried to reach Western Ukraine .
When they arrived in Okhtyrka , Sveta led them to the basement in a friend ’ s house and fed them but the young couple did not stay long , deciding to press on , despite their relatives ’ protests .
Elmar said they were lucky to leave when they did because the town was soon under attack . He said they will always be grateful to Jeannie ’ s family for giving them money to survive . Elmar ’ s company , Panic , wired his pay into their account but they had trouble accessing it .
At the first military checkpoint on the journey Elmar said he saw a “ sympathetic look ” on the soldier face when he saw the crib in their trunk . “ They returned my documents and wished us a
Lines of vehicles attempting to evacuate Ukraine as war begins .
safe road . We no longer feared the military , we treated them with great respect for everything they did .”
Elmar said “ we drove around towns that were under enemy fire as instructed by our friends online . “ But everything changed very quickly , a road that had just been safe would become dangerous in another moment .”
When they reached Lviv , they met friends . But they were already exhausted and feeling sick . Jeannie feared for her unborn child , until she finally felt it moving in her womb .
Their reunion with friends was short-lived , however , because they wanted to get to the border . But their trip was laden with anxiety . They feared they would be separated because men were not allowed to cross . Elmar suffered from stomach ulcers and had a doctor ’ s note , yet its effectiveness was unknown .
Lines to the border were incredibly long . Sometimes their dog would be howling , Elmar said . “ We drove very slowly , at times we just stood still for hours ,” he said . Along the roadside volunteers gave their food and drinks . “ We
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