DALLAS — The war in Ukraine has stretched longer than a week and it is continuing to take its toll on people and places. The Russian aggression is not just affecting those on the frontlines of the war, but those facing their own personal battles.
The war has taken its toll on the some of Ukraine's most vulnerable people.
"On the first day I cried all day because of helplessness," said Victoria Kovalchuk, who has a 4-year-old child, Teo, who just had heart surgery. Victoria is a single mother who, like many, is pushed to the brink.
Dr. Vitaly Gyrin is with Medical Center Adonis in the Kyiv region. He says the maternity hospital and many other hospitals have come under fire.
The doctor tells WFAA that the air strikes happen multiples times a day. Sirens are constantly going off and shots and booms can be heard at all times of the day.
"Believe me, they just shoot at everything. We have holes almost on every floor," said Gyrin.
He says the Russians are actively targeting hospitals. The Berkalovs just had a child last week and not at all like they anticipated.
"We were preparing ourselves for the delivery in a regular delivery room but the air raids started and they ordered us to go to them bomb shelter" said Artem, the father. Artem's wife delivered in the basement bomb shelter in southwest Kyiv with 60 people surrounding them.
"Yes, it is very hard to deliver babies in basement, but what can we do? It is war," said Gyrin.
The Berkalovs have named their child Fedor-Javelin, named after the Javelin missiles used by the Ukrainian resistance. The sad reality is that Fedor has only been alive in times of war.
Victoria Kovalchuk will try the next day to escape with her child to Moldova and then on to Italy, where she hopes Teo can get check-ups and treatment.
A lot of these families are already vulnerable and more so in times of war.
Teo just turned 4 years old but she didn't have the heart to tell him it was his birthday. "We wouldn't be able to explain to him that the most precious gift is his life. [He is] spending his birthday in the bomb shelter covered in blankets. So it goes. This is hell... real hell," said Kovalchuk.