KHERSON, Ukraine -- The summer house where Tamara spends the warmer months is a short boat ride away, on the opposite bank of the Dnieper River.
It's also now where Russian troops who retreated across the river are lobbing missiles, shells, and mortars from; back into Kherson, terrorizing a city that just two months ago exulted in its recapture by Ukrainian troops.
Recently, her neighbor was killed by a Russian missile, she said.
"He was near a shop, and a missile came down," she said. "He was together with friends; one fell, another was wounded, and he had his head immediately ripped off."
The Russians, she said, are "just taking revenge on us because they captured Kherson and then lost it."
In early November, residents of this southern river port rejoiced after Ukrainian troops liberated the city after eight months of Russian occupation.
But since the retreat, Russia has dug in on the Dnieper's east bank, building trenches, bunkers, and reinforced firing points from which its forces have continued to fire back into Kherson city.
That includes the city's Korabel district, located on a watery delta island just south of the city proper.
The attacks have killed dozens of civilians in Kherson and surrounding districts, officials said.
Ihor, another Korabel resident who, like Tamara, asked only to use his first name, told RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service that he knew of a man who went out for a quick trip to the store to buy bread and was killed in a barrage.
"What bomb shelter will save you if the distance from the left bank to the right bank is just 2-3 kilometers? We don't even have an air-raid siren here," he said.
"When they shoot, it's better to stay at home than rush out and run away," he added.
Under Fire
On December 24, Russia unleashed a barrage on central Kherson; as many as 16 people were killed and more than 60 injured.
In the first hours of January 1, Russian forces fired about seven shells at the Kherson children's hospital, according to Ukrainian officials. No casualties were reported, but dozens of children, parents, and staff members had to be evacuated.
After the attack, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy accused Russian forces of "killing for the sake of intimidation and pleasure."
The situation is especially dire in Korabel, which is more exposed because of its proximity to Russian positions on the opposite bank.
According to the Kherson City Council, many houses in Korabel have no electricity, heating, or water supply. Public transport has been suspended, and the work of volunteers has become life-threatening because of the frequent shelling.
Kherson authorities have urged residents to evacuate, but few say they plan to leave. Those who have decided to stay cite a lack of money to live somewhere else and a general reluctance to leave their homes.
In interviews with RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service conducted on December 29, residents described a hard-scrabble daily existence amid the constant fear of a new Russian bombardment.
"There is no light, water, or heat, but people live their lives and want to continue doing so because this is their home; they do not want to leave it," said one retired resident, Tetyana, who said she gets by on a monthly pension of around $68.
Lyudmyla, also a Korabel resident, lives with a balcony destroyed by shelling and her shattered windows covered with foil to keep out the winter cold.
She said she can hardly sleep but does not intend to leave.
The most pressing issue for Korabel residents, according to Viktor Totskiy, head of a housing cooperative in the district, is the lack of building materials such as plastic sheeting or plywood for the windows to repair damage caused by the shelling.
Halyna Luhova, who heads the city's military administration, described the situation in the district as "very tense," and said many residents do not even want to open the door to social workers.
"They stand behind the doors and say they are not going anywhere and ask [us] to bring them humanitarian aid," she told RFE/RL.
The hot-water substation that provided heat to the district was recently hit by Russian rockets, and constant shelling makes it impossible for the workers to repair it, she said.
According to Luhova, city authorities have opened temporary shelters where residents who refuse to evacuate can warm up and charge cell phones or portable batteries.
But even this is very risky. During a recent visit, Luhova said, there was an explosion near her car.
"We didn't know where to run," she said.
"This happens all the time," she said. "And it is so unexpected. With mortars, [rockets], and artillery, you have no time to react."
