The war changed Viktoriia Pylypenko’s life twice. The first time — in 2014, when she was a student and was forced to move from Luhansk to Sievierodonetsk. But the real ordeal came in 2022, when the full-scale invasion forced her to flee home with just one small suitcase. “I packed only my laptop, a blanket, and my documents. The main thing was to survive,” Viktoriia recalls. 

Her parents stayed in the settlement, which soon ended up under russian occupation. The connection disappeared, and there was no information at all. Two weeks of uncertainty, stress and fear. Eventually, her mother was evacuated — though at great risk. But her father stayed behind, unwilling to leave his home: “I planted those fir trees — let them grow.” The russians took Viktoriia’s father to a filtration camp in the temporarily occupied territory, but thanks to relatives he avoided being deported to russia. He lived under occupation without communication for a long time. Only when the village became a deep rear area was he finally able to contact his daughter. 

What she lived through changed Viktoriia forever. She admits she lost her sense of fear and instead gained inner strength: “I began to respect myself more. As long as I have my dignity — I can endure and overcome anything.”