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KYIV: Kateryna Dmytryk had been waiting for this moment for almost two years—nearly all of her son’s life.Side by side, they ran, 2-year-old Timur leading the way as snow crunched beneath their feet. A slender, pale man made his way to the pair from the military hospital. Artem Dmytryk hadn’t seen his family for about 24 months, almost all of which he spent in Russian captivity.He picked up his son. Kateryna pinched her husband and clasped his hand—anything to reassure herself that this wasn’t a dream. All three embraced, kissed, and laughed.Kateryna had buried her mother, fled her hometown and passed through Russian checkpoints with her son, all while imagining the worst about her husband’s captivity. She knew the wounds would take years to heal, but in that moment, she broke into a smile.As Russia launched its war in Ukraine, the lives of millions of Ukrainians were irreversibly changed. Like the Dmytryks, they mark their lives in two periods: before and after Feb. 24, 2022. Tens of thousands have laid loved ones to rest, millions have fled their homes, and the country has been thrust into an exhausting war.For Kateryna, her husband’s liberation brought a glimmer of light back to her family’s life. But she knows their experiences over the past two years will stay with them forever.”We’ve had two years of our lives stolen,” she said. “And those two years were like living in a constant hell.”
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Before and after war; this is one family’s story
