Serhii Hryshchenko, a resident of the village of Klavdiievo-Tarasove in the Kyiv region, an entrepreneur, father of two small children, former deputy of the village council – in the first days of the full-scale invasion, managed to evacuate the family, return home and... start organizing the life of the community under occupation.

When the first explosions occurred on the morning of February 24, 2022, Serhii understood: time is short. He decided to take his wife and children out. Together with other families, they moved to the Carpathian region, and the very next day Serhii returned back.

Russian troops were approaching, and in the centre of the village there were queues for bread and food. It was necessary to save people, because this is where the tanks were going. Then Serhii recalled the church. He asked for access to the bell tower and rang the bell.

"It felt like an eternity had passed. But after a few minutes, the village was empty," he recalls. Russian tanks passed through it in transit. And this gave a chance to organize survival.

Serhii had a building materials store, access to trucks, and familiar electricians and plumbers. He collected them in a pile. Together, they started the water supply, restored electricity, took out a generator, and started a bakery. There were queues for bread every day. There wasn't enough yeast, but people took what they could. They baked, delivered, and supported the life of the community.

At the end of March, the invaders began to slowly leave. No one knew then whether it was a regrouping or a retreat. And only when the military with Ukrainian flags appeared on the road – Serhii and his comrades understood:  "We are free!"