Vyacheslav Yalov (first from the right) with his sisters and brothers. Photo: Vyacheslav Yalov/Facebook.com
On March 15, 18-year-old Vyacheslav Yalov from Verkhnetoretska returned home with his mother. The shooting of the Russian army began. The blast wave stunned them both. There were only about ten meters left to the house.
When Vyacheslav opened his eyes, he saw his mother lying on her side, bent over strangely. Mom died in Vyacheslav’s arms.
“I open my eyes, mom is lying on her side. I tried to turn her, but… Her last words were, ‘I’m fine.'”
Remembering his mother, Vyacheslav cannot hold back tears in an interview with the journalists of the “Cboi.City” portal. She helped people a lot, raised her and four other younger children alone.
“SHE HELPED SO MANY PEOPLE, WHY HER AND NOT ME?” VYACHESLAV ASKED.
Due to constant shelling, Vyacheslav’s mother could not be properly buried. He was buried there, in a hole dug by a projectile.
Vyacheslav and his siblings were evacuated to Drohobych. They lived in a hostel there for a while. Immediately after her arrival, the guardian sent the youngest children to school, as much as to divert them to other thoughts. Vyacheslav entered Bakhmut Medical College to study as a paramedic. He had always dreamed of becoming a rehabilitation specialist.
When the story of Vyacheslav’s family became known to the wider public with the help of friends and peers, people began to help the family. Now Vyacheslav and his sisters and brothers have started a new life in Kyiv, where they have received help with both a place to live and a school for their sisters and brothers. The TV channel “Nastoyascheye Vremya” visited them in Kyiv.
18-YEAR-OLD VYACHESLAV BECAME THE GUARDIAN OF 4 BROTHERS AND SISTER AFTER HER MOTHER DIED.
В КИЕВЕ ОН УСТРОИЛСЯ НА РАБОТУ И УЧИТСЯ НА РЕАБИЛИТОЛОГА. LEARNING IS EASILY – SOMETIMES ARE SUITABLE FOR THE TIMES WHEN YOUNG PEOPLE NEED TO LEAVE SCHOOL. НО ОН СТАРАЕТСЯ, ЧТОБЫ МАМА ИМИ ГОРДИЛАСЬ PIC.TWITTER.COM/ZRBPYCXIXK
— НАСТОЯЩЕЕ ВРЕМЯ (@CURRENTTIMETV) FEBRUARY 10, 2023
Vyacheslav makes sure that his brothers and sisters develop in many ways, because that’s what mom would have wanted. Nikola does aerial acrobatics, Olivia does sports dances, Timur and Daniil go swimming.
“I said earlier that Nikola will be a lawyer, Timur will work in the state administration, Olivia will be a judge, and Daniil – a programmer,” says Vyacheslav. “But I’ve already changed my mind. We sat down, we all talked – let the children do better with what they like better.
I WILL HELP THEM, I WILL SUPPORT THEM IN EVERYTHING. IF THEY LOVE SOMETHING TO THE POINT THAT THEY WILL LITERALLY LIVE WITH IT, THEY WILL BE THE BEST AT IT. IT’S IMPORTANT TO ME NOT TO SLAM THEM AND ALWAYS SUPPORT THEM.”
Looking at the small activities in the activity corner of the entertainment center, Vyacheslav says: “Life hasn’t stopped for them. I wish we could all go somewhere together so that we could celebrate the New Year together. This New Year was hard for me. But the people who were beside, helped. We have a family – my closest friends, I call them family.”
Vyacheslav himself has found a job and is studying to become a rehabilitator. He admits that studies are not easy. “I study in the second shift, but it starts right when the children have to be taken out of school and brought home. There they have to change clothes, feed them and send them to groups. After that, they should be collected from the groups. So with studies it is difficult, there are nuances.
BUT I AM HUMAN, I CAN SOLVE EVERYTHING.”
Raising siblings alone is hard. “I pray to God every night. I try not to let them down,” says Vyacheslav.
More than anything, he wants the family to stay strong. And so that mom can be proud of them. When the children behave well, Vyacheslav rewards them with a trip to the entertainment center. The older brother tries to make sure that the siblings have a good childhood and future.
They remember mom every day. “We have mom’s earrings,” says Vyacheslav. “As soon as the war started, my mother packed some jewelry, documents, put it all in a briefcase – just in case. That’s how it stands. Sometimes we all open the briefcase together, pick up those things.
I try to cook the dishes that my mother used to cook, but I can’t. I really miss my mom’s cooking. I just miss talking. If I fail at something, I say a prayer in the evening and ask my mother what she would do. Then I go to sleep – and in the morning everything is clear and everything works out.”
