During the full-scale invasion, Valeriia was working in Kyiv. At that time, her mother, brother and stepfather remained in Mariupol, in the Skhidnyi microdistrict. As long as there was a connection, she asked her family to leave. But they had been living near the checkpoint for many years, so they were used to the shots. So they hoped it would end soon. 

“For a month and a half, I did not know whether they were alive or not. On April 11, 2022, I flew from Barcelona to Istanbul. From there – Tbilisi, Rostov, Taganrog, Shyrokyne, Mariupol. On April 13, I arrived at the Skhidnyi microdistrict. She took her family, cat and dog. A bag with old photos. And we left through Georgia for Europe”, says Valeriia, a resident of Kyiv.