"I fear for my life, for my family's life," says 'Ana' - a mother-of-two living in Melitopol, Ukraine.
She is speaking on her phone, conducting a secret interview with RTÉ’s Morning Ireland from her flat.
Her city, located in Ukraine’s south east on the Sea of Azov, is under Russian occupation.
"We used to be known as the gate to Crimea. It is a very favourable geographical location. Now this has become our curse," she explains, stressing Melitopol’s strategic importance with access to the Sea of Azov.
Food shortages, water rationing and taking cover in bunkers happen every day. There are Russian soldiers on the streets. The atmosphere is tense and threatening. People are afraid.
"It’s hard to explain to your young son why he needs to sleep on a cold concrete floor and why we have to be very careful with drinking water and that he can't consume it as much as he needs and wants," she says.
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Morning Ireland has agreed to call the woman Ana. Her real name is changed to protect her identity and safety.
"My city is situated not far from the Sea of Azov. It's a modern city and during the last four or five years we managed to attract a lot of foreign investment.
"No one of us expected this [the Russian invasion]. I still can’t make myself believe that what is going on is true," she says.
As a mother living in a war zone, Ana sometimes feels helpless. The biggest impact of the war is on her children.
"I fear for my life, for my family's life, and still our children make us survive. We are looking at our children and we understand that we have no right to give up, as well as we have no right to surrender.
"I have two sons. My older son is 14. My younger son is four. I can't make them feel secure," Ana says.
She adds the impact of the war is a "big challenge" for her older son. "I haven't seen him smiling for 13 days."
"When I asked him if he is ready to live in occupied Melitopol full of enemies, and people with guns, he told me that it is difficult for him to leave our flat.
"It will take me a long time to get them restored. My little son can't sleep. He tries to hold my hand all night long. When I try to sleep he awakens and begins to look for me in order to grab my hair or grab any part of my body to feel safer.
"It drives me mad. We have no chance to leave the region anymore we are cut off. It is not safe - not safe at all - to stay here in Melitopol but there is no chance to leave it now. We are cut off. There are no green corridors," Ana says.
Services including water, electricity and heating have been impacted in Melitopol. Some were cut off but are now partially restored. The local TV communications tower was taken by Russian troops at the start of this week and mobile and internet connections are sporadic and unstable.
Ana says people are living in disbelief and there are shortages in supplies in whatever shops, bazaars and supermarkets remain open.
"The atmosphere is very tough. It is difficult to smile. It is difficult to feel free and safe - firstly because of those armed men, the invaders of my country.
"People are scared. No one knows what is going to happen the next day. A lot of food supermarkets are closed or about to be closed. They don't have anything on offer that is one of the main problems we are suffering from now.
"It is difficult to see those soldiers, to see their guns, and to be aware of the fact that today they can bring you both safe life as well as your last day.
"We are trying to ask them why they are here? What they came for? They just try not to look in our eyes when we ask them.
"They were informed of their secret mission to set us free from fascism and it turned out that the Russians are fascists themselves. They brought nothing but destruction to our cities and hundreds of deaths. Nothing else can bleed my heart so badly," Ana says.
People have protested in the city since its occupation. An estimated 6,000 people gathered in Melitopol’s central square yesterday leading to warnings from Russian soldiers.
"A few days ago they started to threaten us and tried to ban us from protesting peacefully. Today, they even warned us if the protest mission starts they are going to shoot the people. But it didn't work. It didn't work today and people went outside and there were about 6,000 of us with flags calling for peace," adds Ana.
The Mayor of Melitopol told Morning Ireland there is a need for international support to help Ukraine defend itself.
Ivan Fedorov said the international community must give "active help" to Ukraine.
Mayor Federov added people living in Melitopol are living in danger and cannot escape from the city.
"It is not possible to relocate because there are no safety roads. This is why we can’t evacuate anybody. That’s why it is very dangerous," he said.
He confirmed about one-third of the city’s 150,000 population has already fled the city.
