„Earlier here was our beach, next to our reservoir,", 30-year-old resident of Nikopol Vladislav told DV, pointing to a meadow , covered with grass and saplings. A little further on, a narrow strip of water is visible.
The Nikopol region in the Dnipropetrovsk region is on the banks of the dried-up "Kakhovka" dam. - its dam was destroyed by the Russian army and the water poured into the Dnieper bed, submerging many settlements in the Kherson region.
Only five kilometers away is the "Zaporozhie" nuclear power plant occupied by the Russians. - the Russian artillery is very close to Nikopol, which has recently been the target of drone attacks. “Russian pilots are terrorizing Nikopol, using the city and its population as a training ground,", Andriy Kovalenko from the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine told DV.
„To give light to people"
According to the information of the mayor Alexander Sayuk, during the war the population of the city, which once amounted to 100,000 people, was reduced by half. Vladislav, who works at the city's energy company, is among the people who didn't leave. And he tells how another shelling has damaged the electricity supply network.
Energists do not immediately respond to calls - they hide from artillery fire and kamikaze drones. They get to work only after the air alert is over. Maxim from the emergency team tells DV: “It is definitely nice to give light to people".
Pensioner Elena comes to her burnt-out home to feed the dogs. Her house was destroyed in an attack by two kamikaze drones. At the time, the woman was on shift at one of the local factories, which was also attacked by drones. “Everyone happens in my shift. So I couldn't stand it," says Elena, who quit her job and moved to her sister's apartment further from the coast.
While the electricians are fixing the cables, two more pensioners arrive - Lyudmila and Faina, almost the only ones left to live on this street. And they feed the cats and dogs of their departed neighbors.
Ludmila's home was also damaged, but there is a flower garden in front of it. “Why not plant flowers? This is my kindergarten. We had everything. We are owners, aren't we", says the woman.
„I saw the cemetery grow"
And there are few people in the city center. “Life is tense, it is hard. But there are still people who live here. "Enterprises are working, although not at full capacity," explains Mayor Alexander Sayuk.
Before the war, Nikopol was one of the largest industrial cities in Ukraine. And now a person goes to work in the morning and does not know if he will return, the mayor points out. According to his data, 60 civilians of Nikopol died during the war, over 400 were injured.
36-year-old Mikhail remembers what he found in his native Nikopol, returning from military service at the beginning of the year. “I saw destroyed homes, I saw how the cemetery grew and how few people were left here. I imagined that the Russians could take Ukraine and it would become part of Russia. How could I live like this? I could not obey them."
Mikhail joined the army with his father. The son was the commander of an artillery battery, his father was a driver mechanic. “It was very hard for me to watch the enemy artillery attack my father's unit. "I smoked a pack of cigarettes in an hour," recalls Mikhail. During the next shelling, his father was wounded - part of the projectile remained in his chest. That's why he resigned from the army at the beginning of last year.
„Work saves me"
A year later, Mikhail, who also had health problems due to an injury, was demobilized - to take care of his disabled father. "When you come back from the war, you feel like you're leaving something unfinished," says Mikhail. He returned to work at the factory and now encourages his colleagues as they hide in the shelter from the Russian attacks. “You have to keep your nerve,", he tells them. At the same time, he treats those who left Nikopol with understanding. “They just can't handle it."
49-year-old Lilia Shemet also works at the plant. “I am alone now. But work saves me," the woman told DV. After the end of the shift, she returns to her home in one of the suburbs of Nikopol, but only the dogs and the cat are waiting for her there - the house, where a large family used to live, is now empty.
Russians terrorize civilians
According to the local people, lately the Russian army has been shelling Nikopol and its suburbs mainly during the day. "More than ten times a day," firefighter Igor Tkachuk told DV. For the second day now, he and his colleagues are trying to put out the fire in a civilian building hit by Russian shells.
„The building is not far from the coast. The enemy sees everything and constantly attacks us with artillery shells and drones. You hardly have time to hide," Tkachuk says. The rescuers have repeatedly had to interrupt their work and hide in the basement. And they, like power workers, often fall victim to repeated attacks.
„They are almost every day," says the firefighter. One person from his squad was killed, four were wounded. “They used first artillery and rocket systems for volley fire, and more recently - mainly drones. They are cheaper and very fast."