in Kharkiv, some residents choose to stay despite the bombardments

On the facade of this gutted building in Kharkiv, each apartment still bears the traces of the violence of the bombardments. In the residential area of ​​Saltivka, particularly lively before the war, the areas playgrounds have been deserted, like most apartments. Slava and his wife are among the last four residents to remain. “We got nowhere to go, and this is our home, we gotta protect it“, he explains.

For four months, the couple has been living without water or electricity and spend part of the day outside, especially to cook. “We make a fire with these tree branches that fell after bombings here“, he continues. In this neighborhood destroyed at 90%, no business is functioning anymore and the inhabitants have to rely only on humanitarian aid and volunteers, who come to visit these inhabitants three times a week.