Victoria and her family lived in an apartment block in the center of Melitopol. The woman, along with other residents of the city in the Zaporizhzhia region, woke up because of terrifying explosions. Russia bombarded the airfield and homes of civilians. Soon, the invaders seized the administrative buildings. Viktoriia had to live in a school basement. The woman, her daughter and her husband took cover from russian bombardments there. The most difficult time in Melitopol was during the first months of the occupation when Russian soldiers looted stores and threatened locals. Viktoriia and her family managed to leave for the territory controlled by Ukraine.