Under torchlight, little Aurora Benedychuk continues learning her alphabet as her family hide from Russian bombs in a shelter.
The schoolgirl had to flee her home in Kharkiv on 24 February when shelling signalled the start of the Russian invasion and now the fighting has followed them west to Ivano Frankivsk.
Aurora turned six three days after the war started.
Instead of her planned party, her parents found flowers and a cake to have a small celebration, but her presents had been left behind.
They have promised she will receive them on their return home but they have no clue when this will be or if it is still standing.
Her mum Maria Kravchuk, 33, a psychologist, says: “We planned a party for Aurora in honour of her birthday, we invited all our relatives from other cities and friends.
“Aurora was very excited and was looking forward to this holiday.
“But on February 24 we were awakened by loud explosions at 5am. We were in shock and could not immediately understand what was happening, because we as civilians were not yet aware of these sounds.
“We woke up the children and decided to immediately leave the city. We live on the outskirts of the city, closer to the border, and we understood that the first attacks would be directed at our area.
“We grabbed some clothes, got into the car and with great difficulty got out of the city.
“Aurora did not understand why we were leaving, because her birthday should be soon.
“We explained to her that we should go to her grandmother. She took it courageously, I think now.”
Maria and her family fled more than 600 miles west to Ivano Frankvik, escaping a terrifying bombardment of their home city on the Russian border.
She said: “Our city was subjected to terrible destruction. Russians bombed the city centre, residential areas.
“The places where we walked with our children, where we rested, were destroyed.
“In the forest where we went sledding, the Russian military wandered - fortunately they were caught.
“A Russian fighter jet was shot down not far from our house. Houses near our school were destroyed, even the market where we used to buy food was damaged.”
She says they are now in “relative safety” with family in the west but still have to hide in a bomb shelter which they have made in the basement several times a day.
Maria says: “Today the Russians again dropped several bombs on the local airport.
“For children, air sirens and trips to the bomb shelter have become a routine, so we try to keep learning no matter what.
“Sitting in a bomb shelter, Aurora - who is a first grader - continues to read, we play games there, and so on.
“Children, even in times of war, remain children. They want to play, have fun. I think they find great relief in this.
“It is not yet known when we will be able to return to our hometown, to our school. I hope we’ll have a place to return to.
“The scariest moment was when the Aurora asked me in the bomb shelter: ‘Mom, you won't die, will you?’
“I still hold back tears when I remember this.”
Maria and her husband, Olesandr Benedychuk, 30, have decided to be as honest as they can with Aurora and her brother, Askold, seven, about the situation.
She said: “It was hard to explain to the children why we had to run away from our house.
“But we decided to tell them the truth that bad people have come and are trying to take our home.”
In spite of the danger surrounding them, the family have no plans to seek refuge in a neighbouring country.
Maria said: “We don’t want to leave. We love our country and our city, we want to live here.”
