Eighty-four-year-old walks six kilometers to leave Kherson

Vasyl Zaichenko covered nearly six kilometers on foot in one and a half hours to escape Kherson. The 84-year-old man carried only a torch and a phone charger during the walk to a safer area.

Zaichenko had lived in Kherson for 60 years. He and his wife built a family home on the land, planted an orchard, and grew flowers. For the last six months, however, he lived in near-total isolation due to Russian attacks. Humanitarian aid delivered by drones provided his primary sustenance during that period.

The decision to leave came as the intensity of attacks increased. Zaichenko noted that there was no heating in his home. During the winter, the indoor temperature hovered around 8°C. While others evacuated, he chose to stay and rely on what he grew in his garden.

Volunteers met Zaichenko after he reached the safer zone. His daughter and grandson then picked him up from a transit center. He will now reside with his family in Nikopol, located in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast.

The Kherson City Military Administration cited his story to emphasize the importance of timely evacuation. They urged residents in dangerous parts of the city to depart while conditions allowed.

Zaichenko will turn 85 on 22 November. He stated that his greatest wish is for victory and a return to his home. This follows a similar evacuation in April 2024 involving 98-year-old Lidiia Stepanivna, who walked 10 kilometers from a partially occupied village in Donetsk Oblast. Stepanivna, a former train attendant, passed away in October 2025.