During the nine months of occupation of Kherson, Svitlana and her family lived in constant fear. They hid their phones and passports. They were afraid that they could be taken to the territory of the russian federation or detained. “It was a nightmare. We would find out that our acquaintances had gone missing, and then they would be found tortured in basements,” Svitlana recalls, her voice trembling. The occupiers, often drunk, terrified the locals. They could shoot up a whole magazine case in the air for fun.

After the de-occupation, Kherson has been under russian shelling around the clock.  Svitlana’s family left and settled in Odesa. It is very difficult to stay in a city where enemy drones are hunting civilians. Svitlana, like many others, hopes for peace, but understands that the path to it will be long and difficult.