By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Saturday February 26, 2022
Ukrainian Dayana Yastremska recounted the horror of the Russian invasion after fleeing the country with her sister yesterday.
She posted a note on Instagram before leaving the country, where her parents stayed behind.
“After spending two nights in the underground parking, my parents made a decision at any cost to send me and my little sister out of Ukraine! Mom,Dad, we love you very much, take care of yourself!!! I love you my country! Ukrainians take care of your lives.”
She arrived in Lyon, France, where she will play a WTA 250 event next week and told more of her story in an interview with L’Equipe.
“After playing in Dubai last week, we decided to go home for a few days because I had a small leg injury,” she said. “I also wanted to spend time with my family. We had plane tickets to Lyon, France, where I had received an invitation. We were supposed to leave on February 24.”
Yastremska recounts what it was like to be in Odessa when the city was under fire from Russian invaders:
“It was then that Odessa was bombed. The explosions were appalling. We hid in the underground parking lot of our building and waited. We also spent the following night there. It was really scary. At that time, it was no longer possible to fly: Ukraine had completely closed its airspace. The war had begun. This war, I saw it with my own eyes. I heard it. I saw how terrifying it was. When I saw the missiles explode, it was chilling. You don't know where they'll fall, you don't know what to do, everyone panics and tries to hide in the basement to survive. There were a lot of children, single women... It's so unreal!”
Yastremska shared the sadness of an emotional parting with her family. She says her father's words made her break out in tears.
"Our dad said to my sister and I, 'Build a new life and always stay together,” Yastremska told L’Equipe. “Don't worry about us, we'll be fine. Remember, no matter what, Ukraine is your motherland. I burst into tears. It hurt so much."