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KHARKIV, Ukraine - Despite being in her seventies, Larisa Oleksandrivna has decided to stay in her apartment in the war-ravaged eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv even though it barely remains intact after it recently came under Russian bombardment. She remains certain that Ukraine will win.
Oleksandrivna, 75, who has been living in this apartment for 40 years now, has stayed in it along with three other people, despite the city being pounded by Russian air strikes.
The elderly Ukrainian spends most of her time listening to the Ukrainian national anthem and following the news with her daily meals being provided by volunteers.
"I really do not know where to go, because everywhere is full of danger. All of my relatives either live in shelters or have fled to other cities like Kyiv. This is a problem. I am not afraid to live alone here," she said, adding that their country has always been subject to occupation by other countries but they have resisted.
"I have had relations with Russians all my life. Russia has always exerted pressure on Ukraine. Ukraine has always been subject to invasion by other countries. However, Ukraine has never tried to occupy any other country."
'I know part of the Russians hold a grudge against Ukrainians, but I am here and not going anywhere," she added.
Other residents of the apartment have left their homes behind and taken shelter in other safer Ukrainian areas or elsewhere in the west.
According to data from the Kharkiv local authorities, more than 3,000 buildings have been destroyed by Russian forces.
Unlike Kyiv, damaged and destroyed buildings in Kharkiv have remained unrepaired, but only streets get cleared of rubble by locals and volunteers.
Kharkiv is Ukraine's second-largest city which is just 30 kilometers from the Russian border. Before the Russian invasion, an estimated 1.5 million people used to live in the war-torn city.
The Ukraine war has entered its fourth consecutive month, with the country coming under regular bombardment.
Moscow's withdrawal from Kyiv and other western parts of the country regrouping in the east has shifted the conflict to one of the artillery battles and house-to-house fighting in the Donbas region including Kharkiv, a major cultural and industrial center of Ukraine.
Oleksandrivna, 75, who has been living in this apartment for 40 years now, has stayed in it along with three other people, despite the city being pounded by Russian air strikes.
The elderly Ukrainian spends most of her time listening to the Ukrainian national anthem and following the news with her daily meals being provided by volunteers.
"I really do not know where to go, because everywhere is full of danger. All of my relatives either live in shelters or have fled to other cities like Kyiv. This is a problem. I am not afraid to live alone here," she said, adding that their country has always been subject to occupation by other countries but they have resisted.
"I have had relations with Russians all my life. Russia has always exerted pressure on Ukraine. Ukraine has always been subject to invasion by other countries. However, Ukraine has never tried to occupy any other country."
'I know part of the Russians hold a grudge against Ukrainians, but I am here and not going anywhere," she added.
Other residents of the apartment have left their homes behind and taken shelter in other safer Ukrainian areas or elsewhere in the west.
According to data from the Kharkiv local authorities, more than 3,000 buildings have been destroyed by Russian forces.
Unlike Kyiv, damaged and destroyed buildings in Kharkiv have remained unrepaired, but only streets get cleared of rubble by locals and volunteers.
Kharkiv is Ukraine's second-largest city which is just 30 kilometers from the Russian border. Before the Russian invasion, an estimated 1.5 million people used to live in the war-torn city.
The Ukraine war has entered its fourth consecutive month, with the country coming under regular bombardment.
Moscow's withdrawal from Kyiv and other western parts of the country regrouping in the east has shifted the conflict to one of the artillery battles and house-to-house fighting in the Donbas region including Kharkiv, a major cultural and industrial center of Ukraine.
Cameraman: Ahmed Younus
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