Polina Haharina survived the entire siege of Mariupol. The Cheremushky neighborhood, where she lived, was destroyed by the occupiers with particular cruelty. It was difficult to survive, and she had to look for food and medicine among the ruins of a bombed-out supermarket. “Everything was already destroyed there, but I found the necessary nose drops for my child,” says Polina. With each passing day, the shelling became more frequent, and the city turned into ruins. Due to the lack of places for burial, the bodies of the dead were stored in the post office building.

The girl stayed in Mariupol until October 2022, then managed to leave through the Vasylivka checkpoint until it was closed forever.