We begin to stock up with firewood in the summer, because we have a large family. The 13-year-old grandson Vlad helps me with the housework; I am not only his grandfather, but also his guardian. My middle daughter had a heart disorder, she died when she was 33 years old. It’s hard to remember that ...

Another test for us was the war. I can no longer count how many times under the whistle of shells we fled to the basement. There are still marks on the house - there are no windows in some places.

The house next door is the home of our youngest daughter. When it was summer, we could still live there. There is a room where they slept on the floor, on mattresses - this is the safest room in the house during shelling. And when the cold came, it became impossible to be there. They live with us, and some time with my sister.

Our relative Valentina lives with us. She came from Donetsk, where she lived on the outskirts of the city, it was very dangerous for shelling. She cannot go back and check her home. It is very difficult for an elderly person to stand in line at a checkpoint for five to six hours.