Iryna knew what occupation was since 2014, as at that time she was in Donetsk. At first, she sent her children out of the city. Later, she left with her husband as well. She ended up in Rubizhne. Then she moved to Berdyansk. And at the end of February 2022, she saw tanks on the streets of her city again.

She met people from Mariupol who were evacuating from the burning city being destroyed by the russians. She still remembers the children’s wish—they just wanted bread.

She witnessed firsthand a successful attack by the Armed Forces of Ukraine on the port of Berdyansk, when several enemy ships were damaged. Despite the risks, she brought to Kyiv both Ukrainian poems and Ukrainian national symbols that she did not want to leave behind under occupation. Now Iryna weaves nets in Kyiv and believes in a happy ending to her long journey.