From February 24 until the first days of April, Sofiia's hometown suffered from daily shelling. Russian troops shelled Chernihiv with artillery of various calibres, fired rockets and mortars, and dropped aerial bombs. Russian soldiers used almost all the rocket and artillery weapons they had. Sofiia recalls that the explosions were getting louder and closer every day. The girl's family set up a basement where they hid for the first time. Sometimes they had to sleep fully clothed to be ready to escape.