"My neighbours and I were singing. I have a tambourine. I played it when there was shelling"

During the full-scale invasion, Tetiana lived in the Kalmius district of Mariupol. She woke up to explosions. 

"To survive, I needed to accumulate all the resources of life. So, we were singing with our neighbours.

I saw a school that was shot up. Burnt tanks. We had to stand up for human values. Others have to respect your borders. But I did not find the words that could reach people's minds. 

The most terrible day was when I was separated from my family. My friend was a volunteer. Together with him, we brought food to people. And Serhiy said we had to leave. The city is under occupation. I still have my apartment, but I don't want to live with the occupiers.

I took some strange things: a beautiful dress, boots, and went to get my family. But my mother refused to leave. She couldn't find the cat: "Who will feed it if I leave?" said Tetiana, a resident of Mariupol.