Olena Tymoshenko, a resident of Nizhylovychi village in the Kyiv region, did not leave her village for a single day during the active hostilities. She says she had almost no fear. “Only sometimes: For example, when two bombs destroyed her cousin’s house... ‘It came over me afterwards. When I realised what had happened. How did we survive?” says Olena.

After the end of active hostilities in the village, Olena suffered hypertensive crises and microstrokes. Before that, she had no time to be afraid: She had a task to ensure that everyone survived, that everyone was fed. At the time, Olena and her husband still had their son and daughter living with them.

She took care not only of her family, but also of the abandoned pets that their owners left behind when they evacuated to “nowhere”. “All the dogs and cats that were in the village...” says Olena. Unfortunately, not all the pets could be saved – some were killed by shelling.  Her own dog also died – he had a heart attack because of the shelling.