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KHARKIV, Ukraine - As dusk falls, those who have returned in recent months to the battle-scarred village of Ruski Tyshky in Kharkiv shelter in their homes as the region is plunged into darkness due to electricity shortages.
Julia Nichiporuk, her daughter, and her husband have resorted to using vehicle batteries to illuminate and warm their house, barely surviving a major cold snap that has ripped through embattled Ukraine.
Nichiporuk says that following the Russian takeover of their village, they fled to Kharkiv city center. Despite the liberation of their village in May last year, the family returned just three months ago. During the daytime, Nichiporuk and her husband repair damaged parts of their house, together with their daughter.
"There is no electricity. We are in need of water, gas, and electricity," Nichiporuk lamented, adding that regardless of this, the most important thing is that she is surrounded by her loved ones.
"The most important thing for us is that we are together, healthy, and free," she said.
Large parts of embattled Ukraine's Kharkiv Oblast lie in ruins with many locals who have opted to remain in their homes despite all the difficulties.
Russian forces invaded Kharkiv's outlying villages and areas for months before fully withdrawing at the beginning of September after a Ukrainian counteroffensive.
Ruski Tyshky is a village in Ukraine Kharkiv Oblast, located about 20 kilometers northeast of the center of Kharkiv city.
More than 2,000 people used to live in this village before the Russian occupation. Due to war, only 50 families now live in it.
"Parts of households have electricity while others do not. We do not have water. Volunteers bring food for us. They used to come to give us food even when this area was under bombardment. We feel lonely here because local administrative authorities have left this region," Luba Masava, a resident of Ruski Tyshky village, said.
Local authorities in Kharkiv claim that Russia has committed heinous war crimes against civilians in areas that they controlled in Kharkiv.
An estimated 920 bodies of civilians, among them 25 children, have been discovered in the liberated regions, the regional police chief, Volodymyr Timoshenko, has said in a Facebook post.
Kharkiv is Ukraine's second-largest city which is just 30 kilometers from the Russian eastern border. Before the Russian invasion, an estimated 1.5 million people used to live in the war-torn city.
The Kharkiv regions at times come under missile attacks from Russia, killing civilians as well as damaging buildings and infrastructure.
Emergency and municipal maintenance teams are therefore on alert all the time. They go to any place if their infrastructure is damaged due to sporadic Russian missile bombings.
"We work here. This is our duty. We will have to help restore life to this region. We are not afraid of Russia," Yura Masaylia, a local municipal official in the Kharkiv city center said.
Despite all the plights, life continues in Kharkiv.
Julia Nichiporuk, her daughter, and her husband have resorted to using vehicle batteries to illuminate and warm their house, barely surviving a major cold snap that has ripped through embattled Ukraine.
Nichiporuk says that following the Russian takeover of their village, they fled to Kharkiv city center. Despite the liberation of their village in May last year, the family returned just three months ago. During the daytime, Nichiporuk and her husband repair damaged parts of their house, together with their daughter.
"There is no electricity. We are in need of water, gas, and electricity," Nichiporuk lamented, adding that regardless of this, the most important thing is that she is surrounded by her loved ones.
"The most important thing for us is that we are together, healthy, and free," she said.
Large parts of embattled Ukraine's Kharkiv Oblast lie in ruins with many locals who have opted to remain in their homes despite all the difficulties.
Russian forces invaded Kharkiv's outlying villages and areas for months before fully withdrawing at the beginning of September after a Ukrainian counteroffensive.
Ruski Tyshky is a village in Ukraine Kharkiv Oblast, located about 20 kilometers northeast of the center of Kharkiv city.
More than 2,000 people used to live in this village before the Russian occupation. Due to war, only 50 families now live in it.
"Parts of households have electricity while others do not. We do not have water. Volunteers bring food for us. They used to come to give us food even when this area was under bombardment. We feel lonely here because local administrative authorities have left this region," Luba Masava, a resident of Ruski Tyshky village, said.
Local authorities in Kharkiv claim that Russia has committed heinous war crimes against civilians in areas that they controlled in Kharkiv.
An estimated 920 bodies of civilians, among them 25 children, have been discovered in the liberated regions, the regional police chief, Volodymyr Timoshenko, has said in a Facebook post.
Kharkiv is Ukraine's second-largest city which is just 30 kilometers from the Russian eastern border. Before the Russian invasion, an estimated 1.5 million people used to live in the war-torn city.
The Kharkiv regions at times come under missile attacks from Russia, killing civilians as well as damaging buildings and infrastructure.
Emergency and municipal maintenance teams are therefore on alert all the time. They go to any place if their infrastructure is damaged due to sporadic Russian missile bombings.
"We work here. This is our duty. We will have to help restore life to this region. We are not afraid of Russia," Yura Masaylia, a local municipal official in the Kharkiv city center said.
Despite all the plights, life continues in Kharkiv.
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