Olena Chaplytska cannot speak to her mother. Although they are both Ukrainian, her own mother does not believe Olena when she talks about the war in their country. The mother, who lives in Crimea, was pleased when she heard Russia had invaded Ukraine. “I cannot speak to my mother anymore. She will not believe me,” said the 36-year-old Olena. The Ukrainian woman, who has been living between Malta and Kyiv since Russia annexed her home region of Crimea eight years ago, said she was first robbed of her country and now risks losing her family. “I used to… I guess I still do in a way… have a mother and a sister. But they live in Crimea. And, for eight years, they have been told horrible things by [the Russian] propaganda. “Right now, as hard as it is, I cannot talk to them. We cannot be a family any more”. She recalled her mother’s reaction to the news of the Russian invasion. A man carries belongings out of a destroyed house in a village near Kharkiv, Ukraine, during the Russian invasion. Photo: AFP “On February 24, I called my mum to ask her how she was doing and she asked me ‘what happened?’ and I said the war started. And she said: ‘then thank God the Russians are defending us...