When Russian forces invaded a year ago, many fled cities and towns – but not everyone left the country, and some are returning to their homes
When Anastasiia Vereshchynska, 27, left Kyiv with her partner for a trip to western Ukraine in early February 2022, they did not pack lightly. “We were taking a bit more just in case. There was lots of information on social media about what to pack in case of war: medicine, warm clothes, valuables and documents, thermals. I was thinking we are doing this because we are panicking and that it would not really help us.”
But Vereshchynska was not panicking unduly. They were meant to return from the city of Ivano-Frankivsk on 23 February. But Russia’s invasion the following day meant the couple remained in the city for several months, staying in a friend’s flat.
