On the first day of the war, Maryna got a call from work and was told that Russian troops had approached the border and that explosions had been heard. The first night we stayed at home but hardly slept because of the explosions.
But when she and her daughter finally started to fall asleep, grad rockets started firing right above their house. After that, in the morning, they gathered and went to the bomb shelter, because it was incredibly scary and loud at home. But her husband stayed at home.
The family only lacked medicine and food in the first week of the war. They had money, but the shops were closed. During the second week, they began to receive humanitarian aid. Also, people brought multicookers to the bomb shelter and cooked soups, porridges and so on.
There were days when there was no phone connection. Her husband and mother-in-law were in different houses, so when she couldn't call them, Maryna immediately thought of the worst.
She has not yet come to terms with this war. One day, a shell flew into their house and killed her husband. For her, that was the scariest day. Her husband was with his mother, and then he came back home for a moment, and at that moment a shell hit their house.
He was taken to hospital, but there was no chance to save him. It's good that the family at least managed to bury him.
However, Maryna can say for sure that grief unites people. She doesn't know what she would do without my neighbours and friends. Even strangers helped her.
She dreams of a happy future for her daughter. Quiet and peaceful. She thinks that children will have this trauma for the rest of their lives. Such wounds do not heal. Her 15-year-old daughter was not a coward, but she was very scared and very hurt emotionally.
Now, Maryna and her child remain in their village and do not know what their future life will be like. Will they go abroad or stay in Ukraine. “I hope the state and the village council will help us rebuild our house. I hope everything will be fine and the war will end,” she said.
