For almost seven months, the large Dmytrenko family struggled to survive under constant shelling. The women and children hid in basements, while the men kept watch in the yard. The village of Stepnohirske in the Zaporizhzhia region lies just five kilometers from the frontline. That’s where Alla faced the war — and where she lost her brother. He lived on the next street. A shell fragment killed him during a bombardment. Once, Alla herself almost “caught” a bullet in her own yard. 

The village of Stepnohirske has been destroyed and scarred, and her native village of Kamyanske has been wiped off the face of the earth. Along with it — the Dmytrenko family home. This family of teachers and farmers, devastated and displaced, has found temporary refuge in Zaporizhzhia. Yet they still hold on to hope of returning home.