Iryna is originally from Kyiv but has been living in France for many years. The news of the war caught her there – in shock, pain and helplessness. She had relatives in Kyiv who refused to leave, and that was the worst thing: living with the news and feeling that you could do nothing to help. Eventually, she decided to come to Ukraine – at Easter 2022, in the midst of the fighting. Seeing her hometown at war was both painful and comforting: Kyiv was still standing, and life was still going on. Since then, Iryna has been returning home regularly to be close to Ukraine, to feel its pain and strength, to share its trials and to believe in a brighter future together.