It was in the morning when my mom woke me up with frightening words: "the war started". I was scared when I saw the first news with terrifying videos of the destruction of Ukraine.

A few days ago, my peers were joking about the beginning of the war, but on that day it didn't seem to be a joke anymore. I had read history books, but I didn't think that it could happen to me and my country.

Initially, I called my father and asked him what was happening. The one petrified word that I heard from him was “war". I was scared to look at the news but I was forced to - if I hadn’t, I would have questioned myself as to whether it was a nightmare or reality. The media began uploading videos of the bombing of cities and residential areas.

The other day an explosion woke me up. I couldn't believe that I could feel unprotected in our quiet town.

It's hard to read the news because you put yourself in the place of parents that lost their children, and you understand how morally difficult it is. You hug your parents weeping and praying to let your family remain alive. You kiss your mom and dad as if it's the last day of your life. You can't really imagine how life is unfair until you're begging God to hug your parents one more time.

You don't know what the date or weekday is but you are completely aware of what day of the war it is.

Nevertheless, the mass media promoted the courage of the Ukrainian military, cheered people up with funny posters and stories created by influencers. It was easy to calm down and get used to the situation.

Due to the war, I understand how vital being a patriot is and that our country is totally invincible. We will win because we know the truth and will fight for it. We appreciate our history and won’t allow it to destroy our country.

“We are undefeated because the truth is behind us.”