For Ruslana, a journalism student from Zaporizhzhia, the full-scale invasion began at five in the morning when her brother announced, “the war has started.” Having grown up in a large Roma-Azerbaijani family, she was used to a bustling home full of loved ones. She had to leave this home, where her mother was far away in Italy at the time, just a few days later.

The first days were spent in constant anxiety and continuous news monitoring. The decision to evacuate was difficult: Ruslana was overcome with shame for leaving while her brother and other relatives stayed behind. She set off with the thought that she would return in two or three weeks, carrying only a small bag into which she had hastily packed a laptop, a book, and metaphorical cards instead of basic necessities.

The journey west turned into a four-day ordeal. First, there was an overcrowded evacuation train from Zaporizhzhia to Lviv, where people stood in the vestibules. Then came a full day of waiting in a massive queue at the Lviv train station. The most terrifying episode was the trip on a completely packed electric train to Przemyśl: due to the stuffiness and panic, passengers fainted, and the train stopped in the middle of a field for the entire night without any explanation.

After reaching Poland and then Italy, Ruslana reunited with her mother. However, the year abroad did not bring peace. Life in the town was isolated, and all thoughts and conversations were fixated on the news from Ukraine. She lived in constant fear for her relatives who remained at home and felt detached from reality. Returning to Ukraine became possible a year later—a new acquaintance with a Ukrainian serviceman blossomed into love and gave her the strength and purpose to come back home to build a future here.