“My mum and pet-parrot were hiding from the bombs in the corridor”

Once, when my mother and I were sleeping, they started shooting heavily. It was in 2015, but I can remember that distinctly. I was nine years old, and I did not understand at once what was happening. So I ran to wake my mother – and she ran to take our documents immediately.

Mum, my parrot, and I and were hiding from bombs in the hallway taking the most necessary things. It was very frightening.

Early in the morning we left Donetsk to stay with relatives.  In two and a half months, we returned, because they began to shoot less and we left many important things in Donetsk.