Russia seized control of southern cities in Ukraine. Residents protest in a show of defiance.

Russian soldiers occupy Vanda Chernyshova’s hometown of Kherson in southern Ukraine. Now she and other residents are determined to show where their loyalties lie.

Chernyshova, 28, was among the hundreds who faced off with the Russian invaders to protest the war. Videos shared on social media last week and verified by NBC News showed crowds marching in Kherson, as well as in Nova Kakhovka and Melitopol in Ukraine’s south, carrying flags and shouting “go home” to the Russian troops.

“It was scary,” said Chernyshova, who works stints as a receptionist on international cruise ships, of the protests in which she has taken part. “You just don’t know what to expect from them.”