Los Angeles Times

Ukraine's Jews escape to Israel: 'We were happy, and now, we will start again'

The bombing of Ukraine had already begun but Ilya and Yuliia Tregubov could not quite bring themselves to leave. The couple, both 40, lived in Dnipro, a picturesque city in central Ukraine, with their 14-year-old daughter, Asya. Ilya was a psychiatrist at a Jewish medical center and Yuliia managed business centers. They enjoyed a tranquil life strolling along the city's riverbank or simply ...
Israeli consulate workers register Ukrainian Jewish refugees who fled the war in their country at a hangar complex in Chisinau, Moldova, on Tuesday, March 15, 2022, before they head to the airport to board a plane to Israel.

The bombing of Ukraine had already begun but Ilya and Yuliia Tregubov could not quite bring themselves to leave.

The couple, both 40, lived in Dnipro, a picturesque city in central Ukraine, with their 14-year-old daughter, Asya. Ilya was a psychiatrist at a Jewish medical center and Yuliia managed business centers.

They enjoyed a tranquil life strolling along the city's riverbank or simply watching Netflix together. They vacationed in a summer home just outside Dnipro where they'd pick fruit from apricot, apple, and cherry trees.

As the war intensified, the Tregubovs turned down offers to help them evacuate.

"We thought one more day and it will be stopped. All this horror will be stopped," Ilya said.

But then Russia began bombing civilian areas in Kharkiv and Kyiv. Ilya, whose grandmother was a

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