A woman documented living in war-torn Mariupol as Russia lay siege to the city and she thought she would “die soon”.
Nadezhda Sukhorukova documented what it was like trapped inside Mariupol in a series of Facebook posts, where she described living under Russian attack and “waiting” for death.
The strategically important south Ukrainian city has been one of the worst hit areas of their invasion as Moscow’s forces continue to relentlessly attack the city.
The air strikes have left buildings reduced to rubble and killed thousands.
According to local authorities it has left countless without heat, electricity and running water as temperatures plummet to minus seven degrees at night.
She is now safely evacuated from the city but her heartbreaking posts document life under siege.
On March 19, she wrote: “I'm sure I'm going to die soon. That's a matter of days. In this city, everyone is constantly waiting for death.
“I just wish she wasn't so scary. Three days ago, a friend of my oldest nephew visited us and told us that it was a direct hit into the fire department.
“The rescuers have lost their lives. One woman's hand, leg and head tore off. I dream of my body parts staying still, even after an air bomb blast.”
In another post, Ms Sukhorukova wrote about fleeing from one of the countless Russian bombings.
She wrote: “I know how many steps from my house to the next arch. I counted them, and when I ran under the shelling. 42 steps.
“It was easier for me. Count the steps, not the explosions. There was a concrete column across the house. I hugged her with my back, and the shells were bursting around her.
“This was my safety island and one day it was busy. There was a girl. And I panicked. I just stuck in my place and stood like this for a while.
“For some reason, it didn't kill me with shreds and it didn't tear me apart.”
In her heartbreaking posts she wrote how she left her husband, neighbours and friends behind as she was evacuated with the help of the Red Cross.
But, amongst the death and Russian bombings, she described the humanity she witnessed in the shelters and amongst the city’s residents.
Throughout her posts she writes about feeling indebted to people who helped her, most recently to the people who put her up once she’d escaped the city.
But before that, the woman who helped her beloved pet dog, and as she prayed.
She wrote: “I was scared to step out of the garage. I was scared.
“I turned out to be the most useless person in extreme circumstances. Just stood, looked at the sky and prayed. I've never prayed so much before.
“I have a good memory, but that time I forgot the words of prayer again. I just asked, ‘Lord, please let us be alive.’ One more day, please.
“But if you can't, then it's okay.”
Her posts also highlight how information trickled through to her wherever she sheltered, and how she often learned about where Russian bombs had landed in the city.
She wrote: “Today I learned that the occupants dropped a bomb at the bomb shelter at the Left Bank School of Arts.
“More than three hundred people were hiding there. Mariupol continues to be destroyed. Please God help people to survive.”
Ms Sukhorukova wrote about one neighbour in particular in one post.
She described how everyday she defied the odds to visit her parents and return safely.
She said: “Fragile girl Anya from the fifteenth floor came every day. Her parents lived near the school on Kirov and she was very worried about them.
“For them, the distance of two stops was insurmountable. Her apartment is under the roof. The planes that bombed the city seemed to be circling over the very attic.
“Every day Anya went to her parents under shelling. Mines whistled around and laid next to her. She fell on the ground and covered her head with her hands.
“The road was not very long for peace time, but during the time of bombs it was almost impassable.
“Anna walked on him twice, back and forth, and saw how everything changed. Just yesterday, whole houses were becoming ruins overnight.
“I thought she was a hero. She visited her parents and came to the house on Osipenko to rest, before returning to her apartment.
“She drank water, became in the doorway and kept quiet. Sometimes I brought precious diapers or cream for her baby.
“The infant lived in the basement of this house after birth. Looked like a yellow chicken. He was lacking the sun.”
She added, after a while, that Anya stopped eating, but neither said anything out of fear they would scare the children.
