"We're not hiding now, because I won't be able to reach it in time"

Valentyna Sarbash:

A shell hit us right under the house, right here. They call it "Cucumber". One fell here, another fell a little further, and the third is there, behind a neighbor's toilet in the garden. We came here – there are no windows, nothing.

Once the shelling starts, we immediately run to the basement And open the doors. It happened in winter, on 20 February, I think. It was cold. They were sitting in the basement. We're not hiding now, because I won't be able to reach it in time.

Our roof was completely damaged. The slate flew away. The beam burst. They closed the roof and gave us building materials. The kitchen was damaged, the garage and the roof were covered in holes, too. Small fragments fell around. They were heavy. We had our windows removed. We sealed them with boards. We lived without windows. I was very dark in the house.

One day while I was watching TV in the evening and heard the sofa shaking. That is how strong the  shooting was. It cracked when they started shooting. Everything was shaking. They must have been firing strong weapons, I think. If it were a machine gun, it wouldn't crack like that.

My daughter came and fixed everything up. Now we have to start it all over. And I can't do that. The ceilings fell, as well as everything else. As soon as they start shooting, the dog immediately finds shelter. Everyone was afraid.

Son Serhii Sarbash:

It was so scary. You just stand and look up, thinking where they are aiming at. And you think, "What should I do?" I shouted, "Hide!" I shouted to my mother, and she hid with the cat and the dog.

People suffered so much in the first year and lived like this that it would be hard to forget. Half of them had probably left. But now people started returning.

Valentyna Sarbash:

It was very scary. No one lived on our street, only we lived here. Everyone ran away, and I have nowhere to run. I think if I have yo die, I will die anywhere. That's why my son is sick. War is the only reason.

He began to suffocate. He went to the hospital. They gave him injections there. And then it got really bad, they took him to Mariupol. He stayed in intensive care for 10 days. We didn't have any money left. After 10 days, he got better. I said to the chief doctor, "Let us go home, we have no reason to lie down to drink pills here. We can do it at home." So we were released.

Since then, he was issued a disability group. We called an ambulance so many times, because he couldn't breathe.

Son:

The pain may get very strong sometimes. There are days when it is not so strong. I can't breathe normally when I go faster. I have to walk slowly, like a baby. Physical work can also be harmful. When my mother turns away, I can do something. She supports me one hundred percent. She sympathizes with me. We really like this comedy film "Do not lose heart!" So I cheer myself up, "Hold on Kozlodoiev! We'll be there!" I'm kidding.

Mother:

I have three sewing machines. I can sew a shirt. I can sew aprons. Neighbors ask that to fix zippers. The lads who live nearby, sometimes ask me to saw something for them. That is how we live.