A Turkish family living in the northern province of Samsun has taken in a Ukrainian mother and her daughter fleeing the Russian invasion, Anadolu Agency (AA) said in a report on Sunday.
According to the article, Natalia Laptieva and her 10-year-old daughter Kyra arrived in Samsun thanks to the Öztürk family’s initiative and the Turkish authorities' efforts.
AA said in the report that Fatma Öztürk felt the urge to help the family after stumbling upon a social media post by little Kyra, who wrote, “I wish I were in Turkey.”
Wanting to help Kyra and her family, Öztürk contacted Turkey's consulates in Ukraine, initiating an effort that would result in the Ukrainian family arriving in Istanbul on April 16 before traveling on to Samsun by bus.
Greeting her guests, Öztürk said that she is very happy and excited.
“We don’t speak their language, but we communicate through the language of the body and sentiments,” she said. “We also get along through digital translation. I am very happy right now as if I’ve known them for years,” she added.
“I hope their time here will pass in a good way. They will be a part of our family and our guests. Now Kyra can sleep in peace,” Öztürk added.
“Kyra added that she wanted to sleep and relax. I wondered what I could do and contacted the Turkish Consulate and Embassy in Ukraine, asking them to help Kyra’s family,” she said.
“They did not have any money or food, the Turkish Consulate has provided everything they needed. They have been on the road since Thursday, which has been taxing on them,” Öztürk added.
On the other hand, Laptieva said that she is very happy to have arrived in Samsun with her daughter.
“My country is not in the best situation right now, but I know it will be in the future. Our men are very strong. Eighteen years of age or 65, they are fighting for the freedom of our country,” she said.
“Nobody can touch the women, children and households in my country. We won’t let that happen.”
Russia on Feb. 24 launched its invasion – what it calls its "special military operation" – to which Ukraine has put up fierce resistance, while the West has imposed sweeping sanctions on Russia.
Zelenskyy told Ukrainians late Thursday that they should be proud of having survived 50 days under Russian attack when the invaders “gave us a maximum of five.” Back then even friendly world leaders urged the Ukrainian president to leave, unsure whether Ukraine could survive, he said. “But they didn’t know how brave Ukrainians are, how much we value freedom and the possibility to live the way we want.”
Listing the ways Ukraine has defended itself against the onslaught, Zelenskyy addressed “those who showed that Russian warships can sail away, even if it’s to the bottom” of the sea.
It was his only reference to the guided-missile cruiser Moskva, named after the Russian capital, which became a potent target of Ukrainian defiance in the opening days of the war. It sank Thursday while being towed to port after suffering heavy damage under circumstances that remained under dispute.
