The village of Hrakove was under occupation from the beginning of the full-scale invasion, and the town of Mospanove was semi-occupied. Both were impossible to enter from spring to autumn. Everyone who tried had to turn around because the shelling was brutal. People there had to live without electricity, water, and gas. Only a year later, when they were able to clear the fields of mines, was the electricity supply restored. Local authorities did everything possible to support the local people who could not leave, carrying humanitarian aid through the fields and continually risking their lives. The head of Hrakove village was held captive by the russian army for about a week. They mocked and intimidated him, threatening to take his life and that of his relatives. In the end, he was released alive, and the russians left the village of Mospanove, leaving their ‘gifts’ behind them. They mined the school, scattered landmines everywhere indiscriminately, took away all the food that was intended for the residents, and bombed the club, the shops, and the village council building. We were told all this by a resident of Mospanove, a relative of one of the Volunteer 68 team members. She said that she would have starved to death if not for her cattle and garden because none of the shops were working, and it was impossible to venture far from home because of the intense shelling.