Our Story

Anastasia Levshina is the wife of the head of the repair preparation bureau of Krivyi Rih Mechanical Repair Plant of Metinvest Group. Together with her 10-year-old son Vladyslav, she underwent psychological rehabilitation at the Unbreakable Mom project from the Masha Foundation and Metinvest's Saving Lives humanitarian initiative.

The full-scale invasion forced thousands of Mariupol residents to flee their homes and seek shelter in safer regions. Anastasia and Andriy Levshin left the city in March 2022. But the war caught them much earlier - almost nine years ago in Donetsk. The couple left the mining city and settled in Mariupol together with their son Vladyslav in 2017. Andriy got a job at Azovstal. The family fell in love with the seaside town with all their hearts.

Mariupol had been actively developing for several years, and the enemy destroyed it in a matter of weeks ... At the beginning of the war, the Levshin family left their flat and moved to their grandmother in another region - the walls of her house were stronger. Anastasia said that they did not want to leave the city. They hoped that everything would end soon.

“Shells were flying over our house and exploding nearby,” the woman recalls. “Then we realised it was time to run away. My brother helped me find a car. My family and I packed up and left on a difficult road. The picture around was terrible: the houses were on fire, the shopping centre was black. We passed through several Russian checkpoints and at the last one we hoped that we were already leaving for the territory of Ukraine. But no. The invaders did not want to let the men of military age out. I begged, cried, but no one was interested. We had to go to the nearest village, where kind people offered us a house. There was no water, no light, no food in the shops, but, fortunately, no shelling. However, explosions were heard every day in neighbouring Mariupol. We lived like this for two weeks.

One day, a rumour spread around the village that it was possible to escape to Ukraine. With three cars, the residents of Mariupol set off again. That time to Zaporizhzhia. The trip took the whole day, although in pre-war times this distance took only three hours. The shells exploded not far away from the family, hit other cars, which burned down along with people. Anastasia says that she wanted to run away from the war and reach the city where Metinvest enterprises operate. We chose Kryvyi Rih.

"We arrived in Kryvyi Rih on 18 March. Three months later Andrey was offered a position at Kryvyi Rih Mechanical Repair Plant. This winter, my husband told me about a rehabilitation programme for mothers and children. I talked to a woman who was a member of the Unbreakable Mom, and she advised me to definitely take that opportunity. At first there were doubts, because without my husband I had never gone so far away. But my son and I decided to go and did not regret it," Anastasia shares her impressions.

Rehabilitation

Rehabilitation took place in a secluded corner of Lviv region for three weeks. Qualified psychologists gave group and individual classes for the participants, where you could discuss any topic. Women with children learned how to breathe correctly to get rid of panic.

"Most of all, I liked art therapy," Anastasia tells about her own experience. "We sculpted, made pictures from wool, candles, puppets. I took great pride in Van Gogh's Starry Night wool painting. I also tried to write an icon on glass. There were also creative workshops for children. Now, all these items make us delighted at home. My son, Vlad, did not have any friends in Kryvyi Rih at that moment, so it was a great joy for him to play every day with other children. Upon returning home, they talk on the phone every day and dream about how they will definitely meet soon.. My boy began to sleep more calmly. Before, he was completely afraid of being in bed alone at night.

194 people have already completed the Unbreakable Mom psychological rehabilitation programme from the Masha Foundation and Saving Lives. Anastasia Levshina realized that she had to start her life anew and decided to radically change her field of activity and take up design, which she had long dreamed of. First of all, she is planning to take graphic design courses, which are offered free of charge by the YaMariupol support centre for displaced people.

“I know that everything will be fine,” Anastasia believes. "These trials are given to us by God. Before I was not interested in religion, but from the beginning of the war I came to faith. God gives me strength to endure difficult events. I am very grateful to Metinvest that my son and I got the opportunity to reboot. So with new forces we move towards victory".