• Nika Selivanova waved goodbye to her closest friend Inna.
• Elena, the mother of Nika, has simply had enough of the recent days in Kherson.
• The 56-year-old Serhii Breshun was murdered while dozing off.

Nika Selivanova, 13, formed a heart shape with her hands as she waved goodbye to her closest friend Inna, who was leaning against the glass wall separating the waiting room from the entry hall of Kherson’s train station.

They had just hugged while their eyes were filling with tears. Asia, a tan dachshund puppy carried by Nika in her arms and covered in a warm blanket, had received a kiss from Inna.

When they might meet one another again was unknown to the females.

The family of Nika was evacuating Kherson while unsure of their ultimate destination. For the time being, they were travelling to Khmelnytskyi in western Ukraine in the hopes that they would find assistance there.

Elena, the mother of Nika, has simply had enough of the recent days in Kherson.

“Previously, they [Russian forces] shelled us seven to ten times every day; currently, it happens 70 to 80 times per day. It’s too frightful.” said Elena. “I adore my own country, Ukraine. But we must leave.”

More than 400 people, including Elena and her three daughters, have evacuated Kherson since Christmas Day as a result of a substantial escalation in the Russian military’s bombardment of the city.

In an evacuation made possible by the Ukrainian authorities, Elena departed via train.
A line of automobiles containing horrified bystanders is forming at the checkpoint leading out of Kherson while hundreds of individuals leave on their own.

We approached Iryna Antonenko’s car to speak with her, but she was in tears.

We are at our breaking point. The shelling is really heavy. We stayed the entire time, believing that it would pass quickly and that we would be fortunate. However, a strike occurred near our home, and my father’s house was also shelled “She spoke.

She had a family in the Ukrainian city of Kryvyi Rih, therefore she intended to go there.
There had been joyful scenes in Kherson only a month prior. On the second day of the invasion, Russian forces captured the city; it was freed on November 11.

On Christmas Eve, a mortar attack near the area where crowds had congregated to celebrate the liberation of Ukraine from Russian rule left eleven people dead and scores injured.

A social worker, a butcher, and a woman selling mobile SIM cards were among the victims; they were regular folks working at or visiting the city’s principal market.

According to the Ukrainian authorities, Kherson was attacked by mortars 41 times on that particular day.

The Dnipro River has turned into a de facto frontline in the south of Ukraine, and the Russians are firing from there on the left (east) bank.

The gateway to Crimea, or Kherson, is a strategically significant area. Many commentators claim that Russia has now been compelled to take a defensive stance in this situation.

It’s difficult to understand what it wants to achieve by pummeling Kherson. In addition to mortar shells, we have also witnessed the employment of incendiary weapons, which shower down burning sparks on the city in an effort to ignite objectives.

It’s also unknown if the Ukrainian military is attempting to retake territory on the river’s left bank.

There is hardly ever a respite from the incessant sound of mortar shell bombardment here in the city.

The 56-year-old Serhii Breshun was murdered while dozing off. He was crushed under his home after a shell struck it.

We met his mother Tamara, who was 82 years old and had gone to look for his passport among the ruins, the day after he passed away. To have his remains taken out of the mortuary, she required the paperwork.

“I must have had a feeling that day would be problematic. because I called him and pleaded with him to leave the house. And that was it—he didn’t. Our way of life is over “She sobbed.

Just as we were wrapping up our conversation with her, more thunderous explosions started.

No area in Kherson is secure, therefore the old mother’s lone mission to bid her son a decent farewell is risky.

No matter if you’re inside a house or on the street, your chances of survival are slim.

Viktoria Yaryshko, a 39-year-old Red Cross volunteer, was murdered in a mortar explosion a short distance from safety outside the organization’s base in Kherson.

The medal of honour Viktora received was displayed to us by her mother Liudmyla Berezhna.

“I’m glad she was able to assist so many individuals. She was incredibly generous. But it hurts me as well. I have to get better and take care of her two kids. I inform them that their mother is a hero and they should be proud of her “She spoke.

With her two children, Sasha, 12, and Alyonushka, 17, Viktoria had been residing in the Red Cross’s underground shelter. They still reside there, feeling safe and secure among a community of volunteers who have grown to feel like family.

“It is terrible when someone so close passes away. Her death would be in vain, though, if we quit up and cease. To ensure that people live, we work. All other matters are secondary “Dmitro Rakitskyi, a friend of Viktoria’s and another volunteer, remarked.

But doing that while being aware that your own family may be at danger at any moment is difficult.

When further bombs go off a short while later, Dmitro paces back and forth while trying to phone his wife, his face showing signs of tension. He has two youngsters.

“They are reluctant to go. Both they and I worry about the other. That is the way we live “said he.

“The fact that they [Russian forces] consistently target civilian infrastructure is what enrages me the most. Boiler rooms, apartment buildings, and houses. Understanding the reasoning behind these attacks is impossible “said Dmitro.

“Power and water are rarely available to us. Sometimes it appears briefly before disappearing once more due to shelling. In the dark, it’s really spooky. However, we still have gas and can stay warm “Larysa Revtova, a resident, stated.

Although the regional administration has encouraged people to leave Kherson at least twice this week, tens of thousands of citizens still reside there.

The city is plagued by ruthless and random attacks.

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