I stayed at my son's place, in the village of Maloyanysol, when the shooting started. It happened in 2014. I hid in the basement all the time – the shooting was severe. I broke my leg when I was coming out of the basement. My son removed the plaster himself at home, because we were not allowed to go to Telmanove. There is a surgical department there, but were were not allowed to go there any more.

I'm very afraid. I wouldn't know where I was going when the attack would start. Whenever I hear a "boom", my heart  is about to burst.

I got numb. I could not talk from fright. There were a lot of shooting attacks that day. I went out and got numb near the basement. I was on my way to the store when I heard someone shout, "Lady Dusya, what's wrong with you? Your face has changed."

My son-in-law drove me, my daughter Lena and the children to the bridge on his bike. It was blown up, but there was a path to pass it. It was managable. A path remained. I was very afraid. I was taken to the other side. Then we were taken to Telmanove. I went to Donetsk from there, to my granddaughter, Lena's daughter.

They called an ambulance. Doctors came over. They gave me an injection. They told us not to come to the hospital, "We will come home to you." And they came and gave me injections. They said that voice will gradually return. Now I can talk.

We stayed in Donetsk for a month. Then we returned. We arrived and the bridge was blown up for the second time. Now pass is impossible at all.

I went to the store. A saleswoman was crying, "Oh, lady Dusya, the bridge will be blown up."  I replied, "Luda, if they will do that, close the store and go home." I went to my daughter from there. Many neighbors gathered in the courtyard. And then the bridged collapsed. We got so scared. This explosion was severe. I came home and saw my windows scattered all over the place — in the kitchen, in the whole house. We covered some of them with plastic cover and changed others. What was there left to do?

My daughter and son are both hardworking. Despite my age, I do all household work myself. I now live in Maloyanysol, and my son lives in Maloyanysol. He can find job there. Rich people, Hellenes, live there. He did field stacks or did a loader job. Now, though,  he can't find job. Mowing has finished.

I know that war [World War II]. I was five years old then. I remember carrying bread when we ran away. My brother was just born in the 40s. Father was killed in the war. My family is large. I have four siblings. Two have already died.

I remember that war. Even though I was five years old, I remember. They bombed here, but we lived in the steppe and made tents. And then it was announced, "Go to the village, the war ended in this village. It moved further." Our village was liberated. 

Please, Lord, don't let it happen again. Don't let war to come again. So many people die! So many people get injured. So many people start stuttering or  lose their voice completely. So many people can't walk for a long time because of fear...