On 24 February, Yana's son turned 15. He had planned to celebrate his birthday but stayed home. Yana worked in a pharmacy. Her husband Oleksandr worked in the regional hospital. On 2 March, it was her last day at work. There was no more electricity. On 6 March, the gas supply was cut off. And massive air strikes began.
"The first attack was on the 7th floor. Elevators were thrown into the entrance. People started running downstairs. There were seven strikes in total. And air strikes. Huge craters. It was getting harder every day. Adrenaline and fear. What's next? My husband's words: "Wait for the green corridor. We will all leave". I still had my bag and suitcase packed in my apartment. It was impossible to cook near the entrance. The blast wave smashed all the windows. It was minus 10 outside. Zero in the apartment. My husband brought me hot soup. I was against it. I didn't know if he would make it to the hospital.
11 March. It was very scary. I started writing a diary. I prepared notes. I put them in my pockets. "Or we will die of cold. Or from air strikes. They never ended. ‘Let's go to dad's hospital,’ said my son.
The Russians forced us into the operating theatre with our hands. ‘Take off your clothes.’ The women were crying. They checked everyone. With machine guns. Then the Caucasians came in. Since 11 March, we lived in the operative block. They brought a woman who was wounded in the thigh. The woman could not get up. But she was feeding both her child and another. There were no mixtures. Another woman's heel was torn off. There were many wounded. The dead were brought in carpets,’ said Yana, a resident of Mariupol.
