It took Svitlana 12 hours to leave her native Melitopol. On the way, she counted 67 checkpoints! The worst thing, she recalls, was the shelling in the gray zone. Back then, the russians tried to shoot an evacuation van with civilians who were trying to leave occupied Melitopol. Even in a relatively calm region of Ukraine, Svitlana is still afraid of loud noises. She dreams of the liberation of Melitopol and wants to return home.