As another air-raid siren sounds, locals in this bomb-damaged estate glance nervously skyward, hoping that their resilient spirit will help them endure their darkest times.
But these are not memories of wartime Britain recalled for the 80th anniversary of VE Day.
This is life today in North Saltivka, in Kharkiv, the most-bombed housing estate in Ukraine.
Located just a few miles from the Russian border, almost every building in this once-bustling neighborhood has been shelled, turning it into a ghost town as thousands have fled.
But incredibly, some steely residents refuse to be driven from their homes, even though many have no windows or running water.
And they remain convinced that — just like in wartime Britain 80 years ago — that determination will eventually see off their bitter enemy.
‘There were mice and food rotting in the fridge’
Amidst the slow-moving diplomatic efforts to end the conflict, determined 72-year-old pensioner Elena Vizer declares, “This is my home, and I refuse to be chased out.”
The estate, made up of scores of Soviet-era nine-storey tower blocks, bore the brunt of Russia’s invasion in February 2022, as Putin’s shock troops launched a bombardment that killed more than 600 civilians.
Around 700,000 of Kharkiv’s population of two million fled and President Volodymyr Zelensky later declared that a quarter of Ukraine’s second city had been destroyed.
As The Sun toured the apocalyptic landscape of North Saltivka amid hopes that Ukraine and Russia could finally sit down for peace talks in Turkey tomorrow, it was clear that barely a single building had escaped damage.
Cranes were tearing down buildings beyond repair while the playgrounds were silent — most families with young children having long since left.
Retired lab technician Elena was forced out of her home for 14 months after the invasion but has now returned to her half-empty tower block, part of which teeters on the brink of collapse.
She said: “They were bombing us with jets right from the start, and the Russian tanks were on the main road outside my home.
“My front doorstep was the front line. The house was shaking — a shell came through the roof of my next-door neighbour’s apartment and destroyed it.
“My windows were blown out and my balcony was destroyed. Rescuers and fire engines did not come because the shelling was too intense.
“I didn’t see my apartment again until April 2023. When I returned I was so overjoyed I walked around kissing everything.
“But I was also heartbroken because it was in a terrible state. Everything was damaged and there were mice everywhere and rotting food in the fridge.”
Her houseplants which she had lovingly tended for 15 years were all dead, apart from an amaryllis which miraculously flowered again when she watered it.
The worst of the shelling is over for now but has never fully stopped, and Elena still spends some nights sheltering in a corridor as Russian attack drones fly overhead, but she insists she will never leave.
Kharkiv is Ukraine’s most-bombed major city, and North Saltivka its most-blitzed neighbour.
The Battle of Kharkiv raged for three months at the start of the war, with the city seen as a major target for Russia.
As invading tank regiments bore down on the city, terrified Lubov Bobro and her three children found themselves on the wrong side of the front line.
And in a bizarre twist, to make it to a safe area they had to evacuate into Russia. They ended up in a city 1,200 miles to the east where officials pressured them into registering as Russian citizens and taking local passports.
Brave Lubov refused and managed to flee back to Ukraine with the help of Bring Back Kids, a humanitarian organisation launched by President Zelensky to secure the return of children snatched by Russia.
When they got back to Kharkiv, they found their home had been destroyed by a phosphorus bomb — just one more war crime in a long list committed by Russia.
They now live in another house nearby — which has plastic sheeting where the windows used to be, and no running water or mains gas.
A week ago they once again had to run to the shelter in the basement when Russia attacked.
When they emerged they found that the blast from a nearby attack had ripped off the plaster from the walls of the stairwell.
Single mum Lubov, 40, is unable to work because she does not want to leave traumatised kids Olya, 15 Denys, ten, and Tetyana, seven, alone. Instead, she survives on a government handout of £45 a week.
She said: “I lost so much weight because of all the stress.
‘I used to think Russia were our brothers’
“When we got back to Ukraine the children were crying tears of joy.
“At the bus station in Kyiv people were asking why we were going back to Kharkiv because it was so dangerous. I told them, ‘This is our home’.
“When we came back, everything was broken — our house was completely destroyed.
“The children were shocked and said, ‘Mum, where are we going to live?’ A neighbour allowed us to stay in an empty house and it has no water, just a well. But this is our home, we will live here and we will die here. This is where we live. Nowhere else is home, only here. So whatever happens, we will never leave.”
Pharmacy worker Olena Kusko, 63, who was driven out of North Saltivka when her apartment block was hit, also hailed Kharkiv’s blitz spirit.
She said: “People have a great spirit around here. They want to stay because they are connected to this area. This is their home.
“My house was on the seventh floor. The roof and the top two floors were badly damaged so every time it rained water came into my home and I had to move out.”
Although the locals insist that Ukraine will never be defeated, they are exhausted after three years of war and are now praying for a ceasefire.
But they have little faith that Putin will stick to one — and can never forgive Russia for the invasion.
Olena added: “I am hoping for a short-term peace agreement as that will at least be something, but I don’t think war will end any time soon.”
I hope that peace will come and the guns will fall silent
Lubov Bobro
Lubov said: “I hope that peace will come and the guns will fall silent.
“We are praying to God that they can find a common language to end this war.
“But everything Putin says is just talk. I fear that this cannot be resolved and the people will keep suffering.”
And Elena said: “My opinion of Russia has changed 180 degrees. I used to think they were our brothers but not now. How can we ever forgive them? But we always have hope for peace. This war must end.”
North Saltivka was one of the first areas in Ukraine hit when Russia launched its full-scale invasion on February 24, 2022.
Around 20,000 Russian soldiers crossed over the border just after midnight and advanced on Kharkiv on several fronts, with the plan to occupy the city within 48 hours.
But they met with fierce resistance from Ukraine’s 92nd Brigade, the National Guard’s 3rd Rapid Response Brigade and the 22nd Motorised Infantry Battalion.
Finding themselves unable to occupy the city as planned, the Russians began destroying it, launching a relentless bombardment of North Saltivka and other districts.
The heaviest fighting in Ukraine took place in Kharkiv in the early days, with rocket strikes, cluster bombs and snipers all targeting civilians.
Two months later, Ukraine launched a counter-offensive and forced Russian troops back toward the border.
The worst fighting in the city was over but Russian attacks have continued.
Elena added: “The shelling is less now but it has never stopped. The Sunday before last there was shelling and the house was shaking. I was so scared and feared the entire block would fall down.”
She said the one survivor from her beloved houseplant collection had given her hope.
She said: “I loved my plants — I had them for more than 15 years and talked to them and told them I loved them.
“But when I returned to my apartment I found that they had all died apart from one, an amaryllis.
“I gave it some water and it was revived and grew again and flowered.
“That symbolised life for me. Whatever happens, life goes on.”
