"A kilometer was left for the Russians to reach us": the wife of Ukrainian actor Kostyshyn shared how she and her husband became a live target for the occupiers

Ukrainian actor Kostiantyn Kostyshyn (Povernennia Mukhtara, Taiemnytsi, Pastka) lives with his family in Bilohorodka, Kyiv region, where he managed to stop Russians moving towards Kyiv during the invasion.

In an interview with OBOZ.UA, Kostyshyn's wife, Anna Tambova, an actress at the capital's theater in Podil, shared how their family went through difficult days when the occupiers were very close to their village.

"February 24, 2022, was a difficult day," Anna Tambova says. "I had a performance the day before. By the time I got home, it was already 11 p.m. And the next day we were scheduled to shoot, I had to be picked up by car at seven in the morning. I got ready and went to bed before three, and two hours later we woke up to explosions. We heard both Vasylkiv and Hostomel, which are from the other side."

"At first, of course, we didn't know what to do," the actress continues, "We moved to the basement of our house, and only went out to eat. And then there were two states. First, intense activity: running up to the second floor and to the balcony filming helicopters flying overhead to send to the chatbot. There was a period of complete powerlessness: lying on a mattress and not even being able to get up. It was a very strange thing happening to my psyche. When we were about to eat, I started setting the table for the party. I was really doing a good job, but I don't know why. Perhaps for the sake of feeling that something had to be done."

"And then our cat, who was sterilized on February 23, had her stitches come apart and her insides fell out... literally. A kilometer was left for the Russians to reach us. We couldn't turn on the lights because the shelling was intense. But we got in the car and drove to the veterinary hospital. We were driving and realized that our car was a moving target. However, everything was fine," Anna says.

Last fall, the actress's husband received a call-up and was mobilized into the ranks of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. He is currently stationed in the south of the country.

"I've stopped smiling. Everyone in the theater tells me so," Anna says about her current life, "but I can't lie and I don't like to, so I can't deliberately be happy. But when Kostia came on vacation recently, everyone was surprised at the changes. It seemed to me that nothing had changed, but here it is. How did he change? He has a feeling that he has to do what he wants to do right now. Before, he could put off something pleasant for himself because it was not the right time or something else. But when he was on vacation, met friends, and went somewhere, everything was only "in favor". That's the change that took place: the desire to live in the moment."

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