
(Prints size 88x104 cm)
On February 24, I woke up in my native Kherson a little earlier than usual. I was anxious, just like two days ago, when I went with my wife to Zalizny Port (marine resort village) to take a walk on the Black Sea coast. For the past six months, I often had dreams with tanks on the streets of the city. When information about a possible Russian attack began to seep into the news agenda, I started talking about it with my wife. We agreed that no matter how the circumstances build up, we will not run away. This is our home and we will protect it. When I heard the rumble of a jet engine and distant explosion, subconsciously I already understood what was happening. In a while, my mother called me, which she usually would not do so early. When I looked at the display of my phone, I already knew what she was going to tell me, but I was still scared. She informed me about a full-scale Russian attack, she heard it on TV. I told my wife about what was happening, but for a long time she could not believe it. After a few hours, we calmed down and began to act. First of all, we made a list of everything we need for 2 weeks (I did not think that it could be longer). Our next step was to call our relatives and ask them to make a similar list. We spent this day driving between the shops and malls, which in a couple of days would be empty, destroyed and looted, maneuvering between people with suitcases and cars leaving the city.