Who could have imagined Kherson's ordeal after it was liberated from Russian occupation in November 2022? At the time, photos of civilians embracing Ukrainian soldiers circulated around the world, symbolizing hope for an imminent Ukrainian victory. Today, residents of this major southern city live under daily artillery and drone fire from the Russian military, which is now entrenched on the East bank of the Dnipro River, as well as on several river islands.

After the devastating floods caused by the explosion of the Kakhovka hydroelectric dam on June 6, 2023, ever more menacing shelling followed. The relentless race for technological innovation has equipped Russia with explosive-laden drones whose range has steadily increased, and is now able to strike the main northern access road into Kherson. Of the 279,000 people who lived in the city before the war, only 70,000 remain, adapting their daily lives to this new reality, split between a hostile world above ground and confinement underground.

"My husband was wounded when our building was bombed in September 2023. Around us, people were crying and screaming, it was terrifying. When I regained my senses, I saw my husband could no longer walk: His leg had been hit by shrapnel. At the hospital, doctors discovered he had throat cancer. After several long months, he managed to walk again, thanks to surgery and rehabilitation. He was then treated for cancer in Mykolaiv. Now, he can't speak anymore, only whisper. I can no longer imagine my nights without shelter. Since that bombing, every noise makes me jump. When I take a walk in the evening, I almost always hear the buzzing of drones, so I try to stay under the trees."

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