When the war began, Anna was still a schoolgirl — on 24 February she was getting ready for classes, but her parents woke her up saying that the war had started. That same day, fighting reached their settlement, which soon came under occupation. For three days the family did not leave the basement — with no electricity, water, or connection. People were dying nearby. Her settlement became one of the first to be captured and one of the last to be liberated. Anna admits: she had to grow up quickly, but after everything she has lived through, she believes the worst is already behind her.