Life for Ukrainians in ruined estate

• The Ukrainian neighbourhood of Saltivka has been shelled by Russia since the beginning of its invasion of Ukraine in February.
• The onslaught of Iskander missiles and unguided rockets began on February 26, randomly targeting apartment buildings.

KHARKIV, Ukraine: Galyna Chorna sobs as she describes the Russian rocket attack that destroyed the flats above hers, smashing her windows, doors, and any remaining sense of safety.

The 75-year-old woman is the lone surviving occupant of her nine-story building in Saltivka, one of the largest housing estates in Europe, which has been shelled by Russia since the beginning of its invasion of Ukraine in February.

“I’m so afraid because I’m alone here — I’m really alone. I had a daughter, but she died a year ago because she drank too much,” Despite the warm sun, she says while shivering.

“So now I just sit here on this bucket. When a missile comes in, I just fall to the floor, on my front. That’s why maybe I am still alive.”

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Saltivka, located in the northern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv, was formerly a bustling neighbourhood, constructed in the 1960s as a “bedroom village” for Soviet industrial workers and home to more than 500,000 people.

The onslaught of Iskander missiles and unguided rockets began on February 26, randomly targeting apartment buildings.

As the fighting continues, the majority of the neighbourhood is now in ruins.

Early spring was so chilly that Galyna’s nails on her hands and feet became black, indicating the onset of frostbite.

The region had no running water for the first six weeks of the war and no electricity until the previous month. This week marks the return of the gas.

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