After the war began, we had to drastically change our lives, leave our home, and go to the nearest city that was not yet occupied. Our child lost their friends. Since the war began, we haven't been able to see my grandmother, my mother, whom we miss very much... She stayed at home and refused to leave... Because that’s her home and everything she has…

We came to a city that was foreign to us. Where we had to start everything from scratch. Our child went to school here. I started looking for any kind of work and housing, because we had no money. Each of us gathered just one backpack of things. At first, it was very difficult. Everyone was severely depressed. No one understood what to do next or when this would all end. We have been away from our home for a year and a half, and it's still hard and painful.

The scariest thing was when the occupation of our native land began. It was very painful to watch. I cried constantly... I didn't know what to do, how to be... Then I made the difficult decision to leave.

We left through a green corridor. It was very scary to drive through the checkpoints. Constant searches and checks by the occupiers at every checkpoint. Morally difficult and scary, but I tried to keep myself in hand and not cry so as not to scare the child. It was difficult, but I coped…

In the city of Zaporizhzhia, where we are now, there were constant arrivals, which caused great fear and sleepless nights. The war itself caught us in Melitopol, when enemy troops entered the city. For several days we sat without water, electricity, or heating. Stores started to be robbed. It became impossible to withdraw money from cards. It became increasingly difficult to buy anything in pharmacies, as medications were rapidly running out.

I have a piece of the Ukrainian flag from the main flagpole, which is located in the city of Melitopol. I took it away the morning after the Russian occupiers cut it down at night and burned it in a trash can. One piece survived, and I couldn't leave it there, so I took it home. Now it is located in the occupied territory with my mother.