One-and-a-half-year-old son Nikita smiles and does not know what happened to his family. In 2014, our city of Shakhtarsk became another hot spot.

The five days of July were the worst. The attacks did not stop day or night. We were not ready for this, we were in shock.

I was five months pregnant at the time, and I didn't leave the basement for several days.

In Shakhtarsk we still have a spacious house, in Dobropillya we rent a room in a hostel. The three of us are huddled together: me, the eldest son Arseny, and the youngest Nikita. I have no money for more than that, and my only income is a single mother's allowance.

When we came here, we thought we would stay for a month or two and then leave. It was hard to get used to the idea of staying here and continuing to live. We always dream of going home.