SVITLODARSK, Ukraine – While the recurrent shelling outside is terrifying, it is the drawn-out silence between the blasts that frightens her the most.
“When everything gets quiet, I feel like nothing will ever change,” says Maryna, a dressmaker and mother of two. “I feel like the conflict is endless.”
Maryna is among millions living in the conflict zone who are paying a heavy psychological price for the ongoing violence in Ukraine.
To date, the conflict has uprooted around 1.4 million people, while many more endure cold, hunger, hardship and the threat of sudden death at home. In all, 3.4 million are in need of humanitarian assistance and protection.