"Children already understand what war is, what shelling is"

We would run to the river, run along the rocks, collect flowers, mushrooms, and catch fish. There used to be a lot to do here. People didn't have to be engaged in their phones and other gadgets all the time. What did children do before? They ran through puddles, picked flowers, mushrooms, caught fish. They were occupied at school. They played with toys, did some sculpturing, embroidery.

Now children are afraid of this situation. They can't run down to the river by themselves now. They can't go out alone. Only if adults are present. We all go on picnics together. We try to catch small fish. We take the ball with us, or throw stones into the river. When the mushroom season comes, we gather mushrooms. But we don't go anywhere alone.

Now it has settled down a bit. But, still, an attack can start in 5-10 minutes. The children immediately run into the house. They are afraid. That's why, it's much scarier now than before. Whenever a firecracker explodes somewhere, they immediately run to me. Children already understand what war is, what shelling is.

In 2014, the primary school was destroyed completely. We still have the secondary school. But it was damaged as well. The children could not go to school or kindergarten for a year. Parents tried to teach their children at home. They taught them what they knew themselves.

I try to please my children, because I know they are young and need to see something good in life. My income is not very high. I only receive child benefits. First of all, I have to pay for the utilities. I buy food and some treats for the children then. Sweets are last on the list. After all, they get pocket money — UAH 5 or 10. I give it to them, and they run to the store to buy something sweet. The children understand that I don't have much money. They say, "Okay, Mum, we get it."

You can live here without a job, but it's a little hard. The children grow up. I need to buy them new cloths and shoes. I also have to buy firewood. It all cost money. Now it is not possible to get coal, because it is very expensive. We are trying to heat the house with wood. We have to order firewood.We used to have a opencast mine operating here. People had jobs. And there was another opencast mine in Myrne. Some people went there, some worked here.

I'm a welder by profession. But now there are no people who hire people for welding. So there is no such job right now. I just do what people ask me to —  clean the garden, help with the chickens, etc. I know, it is not much. Still, some extra money is fine even though it takes a lot of effort to earn them.

The Rinat Akhmetov Foundation... It is very difficult for people right now. If it wasn't for this help, people wouldn't know how to survive. Rinat Akhmetov's help is necessary for everyone, both adults and children.

Our only hope is that it will get much better in the future than it is now. I wish we could get over this. If only people had jobs. Maybe something will change. Maybe the attacks will stop.

We only hope for the best. We try not to cry. I just wish no one had to died or suffer. We want it to be as it was before —quiet and peaceful. I wish the children could run, smile, and play. We hope and want everything to go to the way it was before the war.