During the fighting in the village of Sytnyaky, Bucha district, Kyiv region, Olha Polyakova and her family were hiding in a cellar. Her five-year-old grandson ran there barefoot in the middle of a winter night as russian explosions shook the village. “It felt like the stool was sinking into the ground,” the woman recalls. It was especially terrifying when columns of enemy vehicles stopped right on their street.

After the shelling, fences, power poles, and rooftops were left destroyed or damaged. A neighbor was severely wounded — she shielded her little granddaughter with her own body under fire.

Olha endured the deaths of her mother and godmother — both passed away after suffering trauma and illnesses worsened by the war. She herself lost the ability to work after surgery, but still continues to support the army — every week, she weaves camouflage nets. “Many of our people went to the front. We must hold on and support those who are there,” says Ms. Olha.