Day two of the war in Ukraine, the city of Zhitomir was subjected to Russian shelling and Oleksandr Tonkonogyy took his sons, aged twelve and nine, his brother's wife and their four-year-old daughter in his car and fled.

- The windows in the apartment were destroyed, but I do not know what it looks like today, says Oleksandr.

Right now they live at home with a family in Sörberge in Timrå municipality and the children go to school.

Remaining in Zhitomir were his parents, his brother, his 21-year-old son, and above all his wife Natascha.

- She had brain cancer and needed hospital care all the time.

I have lived alone with the boys in recent years, says Oleksandr Tonkonogyy.

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Oleksandr misses his family who are still in Ukraine and will therefore, among other things, go and visit them.

In the clip, he also tells when he decided to flee his homeland.

Photo: Private

Thinking of returning to Zhitomir

At the beginning of April, Natascha passed away and now Oleksandr is trying to find an opportunity to return to Ukraine to take care of her legacy and also meet his family.

But it will only be a temporary visit.

- I have to think about the children in the first place, they should go to school and get some peace and quiet.

When the war is over, we will return.

Because he has sole custody of the children, he is exempt from military service, which is mandatory for all men over the age of 18 in Ukraine.

However, it is not his older son and brother, that is why Oleksandr has taken his sister-in-law and her four-year-old daughter Katia to Sweden.