![I went to war and came back WITH A DOG I went to war and came back WITH A DOG](https://cdn.magzter.com/1395477376/1656321552/articles/ICq-8lNSN1658123107710/I-WENT-TO-WAR-AND-CAME-BACK-WITH-A-DOG.jpg)
Before I left Islington for Ukraine, I could have never imagined the experience. The stories of destruction I found are so devastating that I struggle to comprehend how this is happening in the 21st century. Genocide. War crimes. Invasion. Yet, when entering Ukraine back in February, this is exactly what I found.
To get there, I first flew with photographer Paul Grover to the Polish capital, Warsaw, before a nine-hour drive to the border. Then, two hours on to Lviv, a city in the west where thousands of displaced citizens were massed. The threat of missile strikes was constant, coupled with the pressure of getting to our hotel before the curfew. Lviv had been considered the safest place in Ukraine, but the day before we arrived, Russia had fired a missile on the city. It showed how unpredictable this war is and I felt guilt towards my friends and family who were nervously WhatsApping me for reassurance.
Once in Lviv, apart from the sound of sirens, it was hard to believe Ukraine was at war. People hung out in coffee shops and sold tulips on the side of roads. Yet it was inside the refugee centres – the churches offering shelter for the homeless and the crowded train stations where desperate civilians waited – that the true picture emerged.
At an arts centre transformed into a refugee hub providing warm meals, hot drinks and nappies was Anna. The 32-year-old had been excited about her first pregnancy but when the shelling started in the Kherson region, where she lived with her husband, they fled. She refused to let herself cry because it stopped her breasts producing the milk she needed for her newborn. I found myself thinking of one of my sisters; how lucky she was to have had her first pregnancy safely at home, with all the family around her.
Esta historia es de la edición July 04, 2022 de WOMAN - UK.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor ? Conectar
Esta historia es de la edición July 04, 2022 de WOMAN - UK.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor? Conectar
![View from THE BACK View from THE BACK](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/5906/1931653/nb843dI4S1734439898150/VIEW-FROM-THE-BACK.jpg)
View from THE BACK
Isabel Webster says what you're thinking
![Time to get ON BOARD! Time to get ON BOARD!](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/5906/1931653/698DAdPta1734439632111/TIME-TO-GET-ON-BOARD.jpg)
Time to get ON BOARD!
A no-fly cruise from the UK offers a hassle-free holiday to remember
![Matt Tebbutt's FESTIVE FAVOURITES Matt Tebbutt's FESTIVE FAVOURITES](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/5906/1931653/1sqJNUYDv1734439114741/MATT-TEBBUTTS-FESTIVE-FAVOURITES.jpg)
Matt Tebbutt's FESTIVE FAVOURITES
The Saturday Kitchen star serves up easy, seasonal winners
![I'm the child OF AN AFFAIR I'm the child OF AN AFFAIR](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/5906/1931653/UvuEhJQSq1734438571462/IM-THE-CHILD-OF-AN-AFFAIR.jpg)
I'm the child OF AN AFFAIR
Jennifer Barton still feels like a dirty secret at 42
![One final PARTY One final PARTY](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/5906/1931653/Ozo08L8Dc1734438276364/ONE-FINAL-PARTY.jpg)
One final PARTY
Caitriona Adams' fun-loving little boy was brave until the end
![How to be alone NOT LONELY How to be alone NOT LONELY](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/5906/1931653/moQIF_OdI1734437914738/HOW-TO-BE-ALONE-NOT-LONELY.jpg)
How to be alone NOT LONELY
Connecting to others has never been more important for your health
![15 ways to BOOST YOUR ENERGY over Christmas 15 ways to BOOST YOUR ENERGY over Christmas](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/5906/1931653/UvrjLnn_u1734437585343/15-WAYS-TO-BOOST-YOUR-ENERGY-OVER-CHRISTMAS.jpg)
15 ways to BOOST YOUR ENERGY over Christmas
Survive the last of the festivities and jingle your energy bells with help from our experts
![TSUNAMI 20 years on TSUNAMI 20 years on](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/5906/1931653/DUDmcy9IW1734436534608/TSUNAMI-20-YEARS-ON.jpg)
TSUNAMI 20 years on
What is it like to be caught up in a devastating natural disaster? We speak to a survivor
![TRUMP VS HARRY TRUMP VS HARRY](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/5906/1931653/4Y7TSTCZq1734436299779/TRUMP-VS-HARRY.jpg)
TRUMP VS HARRY
Prince Harry faces a troublesome Christmas as he waits to see what President-elect Trump may do about his visa situation.
!['Furious' Meghan's NEW ATTACK 'Furious' Meghan's NEW ATTACK](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/5906/1931653/goNIXbPJn1734435916517/FURIOUS-MEGHANS-NEW-ATTACK.jpg)
'Furious' Meghan's NEW ATTACK
Royal biographer Duncan Larcombe on the claims that things are worse than ever between the sisters-in-law