Sasha, originally from Mariupol, was studying in Kyiv when the full-scale invasion began. Determined to rescue his mother and younger brother back in Mariupol, Sasha reunited with his family, staying in a relative's house on the city outskirts. Sasha is not able to recollect the exact events of those days due to the high stress and surrounding chaos of the occupied city. At some point, the family was deported to Donetsk and placed in an ill-equipped school, enduring hunger and uncertainty. A sudden move for filtration added to the confusion, subjecting them to meticulous checks. Their photographs and fingerprints were taken and their phones were checked. After being “filtered”, they were brought to the russian border and left there to create the impression that Ukrainians wanted to cross it of their own free will. The attitude of russian border control turned out to be even worse than filtration. Later in russia, they were placed in a tent camp and finally given the freedom to plan their next route. Sasha immediately wanted to return to Ukraine, but there was not enough money for the trip. Determined to return to Ukraine, Sasha contacted Helping to Leave and, with their help, embarked on a challenging route from Rostov to Estonia, then to Bialystok in Poland, and eventually returned to Ukraine via Lviv in an 8-day journey. HTL also provided support by securing tickets for Sasha's mother and brother, facilitating their escape from Russia to France.