Mariia lived on the Left Bank of Mariupol. On February 24, 2022, she woke up to an explosion. There was no panic, but she sent her children to her father, who lived in the city centre. Soon after, she moved to the Central District herself.

"When communication, electricity, gas and water went out, we realised we were trapped. We took the risk of driving towards the PortCity shopping centre. We travelled halfway. The shelling with Grad started. PortCity was hit. We returned. The "green corridor" was not allowed. We could not leave. The city was surrounded. But there was always hope.

Everything merged into one horrible period of panic and shelling. At night, in the darkness, we could hear bombs exploding around our house. There was no guarantee that something would not hit where we lived.

I calmed everyone down. I am a psychologist. I have two grandmothers and two children with me. We are on the 5th floor of a Khrushchev building. We had no other place. I was scared that I wouldn't be able to feed my children.

My house on the Left Bank burned down. But we survived. That was the main thing.

When we were leaving, our convoy started to be shelled on the bridge. I saw bloody children being taken out of the cars. I pressed the gas. And I escaped from this nightmare. But for a long time, it seemed that I was being shot in the back," said Mariia, a resident of Mariupol.