Unbroken Resolve

Tetiana Kyrylenko knew about building something from nothing. As a postmaster who had retired at 55, she had spent her life creating order — first in her work, then in her home in Luhove village. A perfectly renovated house. A life of raising an adopted son, doting on grandchildren. Until war erased everything.

Disbelief came first. Wars happened elsewhere, not in her village. Until the day Russian soldiers entered her home, trying to force her out. Her carefully constructed life became a battlefield.

The first explosion took part of her house. The next took her sense of security.

Begging Russian soldiers to help her cross to Ukrainian-controlled territory, she lived with constant fear of being killed. Each moment was a negotiation of survival.

Type II diabetes. A stroke that stole her mobility. These were not just medical conditions. They were markers of her journey.

Brovary’s modular town became a temporary stop. Then Senior Chudo Village became something more — a restoration of hope.

Her message to the younger generation was pure Ukrainian resilience: “Believe in Ukraine. Believe in our military. Learn to set goals and pursue them.”

To Dell Loy Hansen, she would offer quiet gratitude. Not just for a place to live, but for a chance to exist with dignity.

Her plans were simple. To live. To survive. To bear witness.

In this village, Tetiana was more than a survivor. She was a testament to the strength that comes from unbroken spirit — quiet, determined, hopeful.