From the beginning of the full-scale invasion, Oleksandr Melnyk from Mariupol helped to fortify the military hospital. On March 8, together with his wife, he came under massive shelling of the garage cooperative.

"They were hiding in the garage, the neighboring ones caught fire nearby. My wife and I could stay there and no one would find us. Mines were falling 50 meters from us," Oleksandr recalls.

On March 10, the Russian military shelled Oleksandr's apartment. At that time, the husband and wife lived in a private house of friends. "Cleaning. They parked their tank on the road near the cellar. Many dead, no one hid them. There was also a lot of enemy equipment on Shevchenko Boulevard. Assault aircraft, bombers," the man says.

On 10 March, the russian military shelled Oleksandr's apartment. At that time, the man and his wife lived in a private house of friends. "Cleanup. They put their tank on the road near the cellar. There were many dead, no one buried them. There was also a lot of enemy equipment on Shevchenko Boulevard. Attack aircraft, bombers," the man says.

In early April, Oleksandr was captured by Kadyrov's men. "I was afraid for my wife, she weighs 50 kg, she is small. I was afraid for her."

The family left Mariupol in mid-April. "We saw dead people, children, crosses... But we had a goal - to get out," Oleksandr says.