“On February 24, 2022, hell began.
I went to the 23rd micro-district to congratulate my brother on his 12th birthday and stayed there for 13 days. From the Vostochny district, my husband, Boris Shvetsov, had his parents and grandmother moved to the apartment next to the underground crossing (we thank Sergey Makarov for taking grandmother Sveta out of Vostochny). On the day when the shelling in my hometown didn’t stop for a minute, the windows were blown out and our favorite parrot Chicha died. The children buried her in the yard under a tree, and all of us (two children aged 8 and 12, my parents, Borya and me) sought safety in the center of Mariupol under fire. There was a bomb shelter in a house on Myru Ave., and we thought we’d be safe there. On March 16, 2022, we reached the center of Mariupol, Myru Ave., 75b. The house with a clock (a well-known house for the people of Mariupol) has become a shelter for many men and women of Mariupol. The place was full not only of people who lived there but of many others from different districts too. Maria (the head of the condominium) took care of everyone: duty was organized so that looters won’t damage the car; a fire for cooking was maintained throughout the day; there was a friendly atmosphere and warm communication, distracting from the harsh reality. In one of the photos, we smile and joke that in peacetime we’ll gather every Saturday for a picnic. March 16th at 12:30 PM. I took the little ones to the apartment on the 4th floor to get plates for lunch; all of a sudden the house shakes with extraordinary force, the ceiling cracked, there is dust in our noses and throat, and I shouted "DOWN, FAST!". I ran first, then the children, mom, men… there was a crowd downstairs, shouting "PEOPLE ARE PRESSED DOWN". Vadym (his feet are covered with ground and bricks) and Galya (unconscious, breathing with blood) are being pulled out from under the rubble. Boris Shvetsov and other men started clearing debris to get to the people while I took children to the shelter and returned to them. That’s when we saw Vanya. My friendly neighbor, always smiling. We started digging with our bare hands. There was no pulse. A broken body with not a single unbroken bone. In the first photo, a woman sees Vanya's body... Galya's husband said that many did not survive. We left Mariupol on foot that day, and after the shelling of the house, it became clear that everyone needed to get out of the city immediately. In 5 minutes, we decided to walk to Melekino. Boris Shvetsov, his parents, and his grandmother grabbed their backpacks at once, while my parents and brother… still remained in the basement under fire. My mother has back problems, and she said she just can't walk. My brother and father said they wouldn’t leave her alone. It’s a painful memory, but we had to leave. I was crying incessantly. After all, we were under fire, with the sound of attacking planes. However, more than walking like this, I was afraid that I would never see my mother, brother, and father again. From the underpass, we went down to Primorsky Blvd., headed to Pishchanka (Mariupol beach). Everyone was motivated by Borya’s 78-year-old grandmother. However, it became clear that we wouldn’t reach Melekino that day. Instead, we got to Pishchanka around 4 PM where Tatiana sheltered us for the night. Elena from "Dolphin"(café on the beach) fed us. In the morning we hugged Tatiana and went to the road across the cliff, walked past the Russian checkpoint, and moved to the Portovske village. There was not a single second that I didn’t think about my relatives left in Mariupol. When we entered Portovsky (a village occupied by enemies), I saw Denis Bolgarov first (he worked for the studio "Morning of Mariupol"). When I asked if he knew someone who could help get my family and others out of Mariupol, Denys told me "I went there three times yesterday, maybe I'd go today." I begged him to take me with him, and an hour later he called and said "Let's go." We crossed the bus station at Mariupol’s entrance and drove to the registry office. Denis said "quickly!" and I ran to my home’s entrance. There was smoke around and the city was on fire. I was afraid there would be no one to save… I opened the door to the basement… and there they were, my relatives with frightened eyes. I said “THREE MINUTES, MOM”…and in a moment grabbed some bags and just jumped out to the street – and suddenly the shelling began. The guns are being fired at the Registry Office. We miraculously hid in the entrance of “Zhemchug” (a jewelry shop) while Denys was hiding in a neighbor’s entrance, his car’s glass everywhere. Ultimately, we managed to break out and return to Portovsky village. I’m just so glad my family is in a safe place.”
