‘It was terrible, a nightmare! I do not want to recall what it was there!’

There was shelling here and the houses were hit. It was terrible, a nightmare. Our daughter called: ‘Mom, go to our cellar!’ Our cellar is shaped like a hole. So, we just got in, with my old man and stood still... He put the car in the garage. It was so scary. I do not want to recall what it was there.

I went to stay at my son-in-law’s place. But it is better to live in your own home. I had a cerebral haemorrhage. The left side of my body has been paralyzed, and the leg has got swollen and it is not getting better. Twice I have been to the hospital, but it does not help. We are surviving. We have some household, and my old man helps. I use walkers. I have a walking frame. So, I walk slowly. I just move, drag this leg of mine, and that’s it.

My husband had a heart attack two years ago. He was in the hospital. This stress is probably because of the shelling and all that. We used to live normally. We had everything; it was calm.  We had a community centre, a club, some stores, all that. We had a normal life and did not bother anyone.

It [the life] has changed a lot. The houses were shelled, and a lot has changed. We go to Mykhailivka to buy bread. We have a social bus, which goes once per week.