Tucked away in the basement of his building damaged by fighting in eastern Ukraine, 65-year-old Volodymyr rarely comes out as Russian forces press on to the doorstep of his town of Kostyantynivka.
“Everything around us has been hit, everything has burned,” he says. “It's scary, but life goes on - what are we going to do?” he told Reuters.
Residents like Volodymyr, who stayed behind to care for his sick mother-in-law, are struggling to survive in buildings destroyed by bombs and riddled with shrapnel as winter sets in, according to Reuters.
Russian troops are tightening their grip on the city, once a key hub for Ukrainian forces in the east, seeking to seize more territory as Kiev is pressured to accept a US-backed peace deal that could involve painful concessions.
With the strategic city of Pokrovsk on the brink of falling, officials and analysts believe Russia will now target the so-called "belt of fortresses" - the remaining cities in the east that are under Ukrainian control.
Kostyantynivka is the most vulnerable, and fighting is already raging on its southern outskirts, according to the Ukrainian think tank Deep State. Powerful explosions rumble in the distance and drones buzz overhead, often several at a time, Reuters reported.
Volodymyr, who gave only his first name, created a living space for himself among gray concrete walls, with kitchen units and a stove.
Residents have been provided with food by aid workers who are no longer coming due to the danger. They are also collecting rainwater, which they later purify at a nearby field station.
“It's hard, but bearable,” says Volodymyr, a lamp strapped to his forehead, while a generator hums in the background. “We're used to these conditions.”
Outside, an elderly woman in a thick blue coat was dragging a gas cylinder in a cart, passing two well-equipped soldiers on patrol.
Another resident, 54-year-old Yuri, says he is still in pain after neighbors pulled him from the rubble following a recent Russian attack on his apartment building.
"Where should I go? With what?" he said, adding that the monthly rent in other places is almost three times higher than his pension of about $85.
"It may fall apart," he said of his damaged home, "but at least it's mine."
President Volodymyr Zelensky was in London yesterday, seeking to shore up support from allies after what he called "constructive, if not easy" talks between US and Ukrainian negotiators.
Kiev has rejected the Moscow-friendly terms proposed by Washington last month and is seeking security guarantees from its partners as part of any potential agreement.
In Kostyantynivka, the part of Donetsk Oblast that Vladimir Putin wants Ukraine to cede in exchange for peace, Ukrainian soldiers are making their way through the devastated city, seeking shelter under trees and in the remains of buildings.
Dmitro (32), a member of the 49th Separate Assault Battalion “Karpatska Sich”, says he has little faith that the fighting will end.
"I believe that every inch of the homeland is important," he said, visibly exhausted. "And we don't plan on just giving it away."
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