Iryna Dryhalovska, a senior paramedic, works at the Trostianets emergency medical aid station. “We believed it was our duty to stay and provide assistance, as a large number of residents, even those with children, stayed in the town until Trostianets was liberated.”

Special vehicles were not allowed to travel, so they had to rescue people on foot. When the shelling became unbearable and it was impossible to work, Inna and her husband decided to leave the town. They went to their children, whom they had not seen for a month. To get around the occupiers' checkpoints, they made their way through forests and fields. When they finally escaped from Trostianets, they learned that their town had been... liberated!