"I had only the cat with me"

I live in the most dangerous area of Donetsk – Kyivskyi District. I hid in basements during the attacks. I had to take care of myself. My children left, and my husband died. Only the cat remained with me, which became a kind of a charm. If my cat climbs into the chest of drawers creepingly, it means that I had to hide. The shooting will begin soon.

This is the second war I remember. I was six years old, when the Nazis captured my native city of Melitopol. Houses were levelled to the ground, and the bombing continued day and night. We were very hungry.

I moved to Donetsk after all this horror. Here I got married and worked all my life as a dispatcher at the Water of Donbass — a public utility company. But I still have war fear. When the time of peace came,  this feeling was blunted.

I haven't received my pension payment for a year. I can't even leave the house, because I have bad joints and heart. Leaving and reclaiming the pension is not a question.