7-year-old Solomiya’s family lived in Mariupol. From the first days of the full-scale invasion, the family saw, heard and felt the realities of war: Russian missiles constantly flying over their heads, the sights and sounds of explosions and even the smell of shrapnel in the air. War is truly an event that attacks all the senses.
When Solomiya’s family realized that evacuating Mariupol was impossible due to the ongoing siege, their basement became their safe haven – the only place they could hide. Solomiya’s father often went into the city to offer help to friends and relatives, delivering potatoes and other essential supplies to them, but one day he did not return home.
On March 13th, his mutilated body was found near the entrance to their home.
Despite the fear and risk, the family managed to move to Zaporizhzhya, further to the west. They are survivors of this callous war. Solomiya, due to her age, cannot fully grasp the horrors that have taken place, though she dreams of Ukraine’s victory and a peaceful life without explosions and air raids to worry about.
