She helped rebuild Kyiv after World War II. Now, she's had to flee it

Even as the bombs began to fall, Yevhenia Khomenko didn't want to leave her home in Kyiv, Ukraine. "I would rather die there," the 94-year-old said. But eventually, it became too much, and her daughter convinced her to leave the home she had known her entire life.

When Khomenko was a child, she lived through the Great Famine of Ukraine -- one that killed millions, driven by Josef Stalin. Years later, she fled her home during World War II as her country was targeted by Adolf Hitler. She's now had to flee once more over an invasion prompted by Vladimir Putin.

The Russian attacks have reminded Khomenko of the bombing, shooting and violence during World War II, she told CNN. The bombs then, as they are now, were unpredictable, and she recalled running anywhere to escape them. Khomenko returned to Kyiv after World War II to help rebuild the city's main square, she said. Now, she's worried the city may never be the same -- and that, given her age, she may never return.