Really, it was a cute small space. one of those inviting kitchens and eating areas.
The countertop was worn out, the cooktop and oven were a touch antiquated, and the wooden cabinetry may have benefited from a fresh coat of paint.
The apartment on the top level, however, had a view of the fields beyond and fronted a large plaza in the heart of Marhenets.
Amazing view. The room was bathed in the afternoon sunshine of a summer day.
It was simple to see the dinners, the jokes, and the happiness that friends and family would have had in that space. The environment was friendly.
A cheerful lady, maybe in her early 70s, welcomed us inside.
A Russian missile that destroyed her house and her life a few nights before left a huge, 25-foot hole in her wall, which she was dusting off.
She cautioned us not to approach the brink too closely.
The majority of the floor was also gone, in addition to the complete wall.
As plaster from the ceiling’s remaining structure fell off the ceiling, what was left collapsed under our feet.
It would have hurt to have dropped around 12 feet to the floor below.
It would have been considerably worse to have fallen 70 feet or more to the earth below.
The apartment was unique since it was on the top level, but it also made it susceptible to the Russian rockets that were launched at Marhenets and other towns along the Dnipro River’s bank every night.
The colossal Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Station is just over the river, according to the Ukrainian military, and Russian soldiers are shooting on them from there.
There is no question about where they are coming from, the locals informed us.
They claim that they are close enough to hear the launches, but that once they do, they only have about seven seconds to attempt to seek cover—far less time than is necessary to sound an air raid warning, much less run for cover.
One block away, city authorities took us to a demolished structure where they said 13 people had died the previous night.
People were killed while they were asleep when a rocket penetrated the roof and exploded.
They claim that a fresh bombardment occurs every night, usually between the hours of one and four in the morning.
For protection, some of the few remaining people in towns near the Dnipro like Marhenets and Nikopol sleep in basements or stairwells at night.
We went to both of those areas, and there were explosions.
The distance across the river to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power facility is just approximately three miles at its closest point.
Some of it had an ensuing circular sound. Some clearly had an oncoming sound.
Most likely, we ought to have been covering up in our flak jackets. Even our helmets, maybe.
But in places like this, when young families are out taking a walk with their kids on a summer day, it seems theatrical, even callous.
Or where elderly people clean up the wreckage from their abandoned houses.
Despite the regular air raid sirens, nobody rushes for cover. Unconcerned boys ride by on bicycles.
But there are a lot of jittery dogs running around the streets.
Early in March, Russian troops seized control of the nuclear facility.
As part of what at the time seemed to be an unstoppable Russian offensive marching toward Kyiv, I was in Kyiv at the time and covered its capture.
There was a fairly intense firefight going on, with booming explosions and tracer fire slicing through the sky.
Experts from throughout the world raised the alarm about the dangers of the conflict possibly resulting in a nuclear meltdown.
They have persisted in denouncing the blatantly careless stupidity of fighting fiercely and using heavy weapons near Europe’s largest nuclear power plant.
When the smoke cleared, it was in Russian-held territory and under Russian control, even though it was still being managed by the same group of Ukrainian technicians in challenging conditions.
With the exception of periodic flare-ups and infrequent explosions, everything then became calm. up till recently.
The facility was once again turned into a conflict, and both sides blamed the other.
According to Ukrainian authorities, the Russians are utilising it as a massive shield, a base for hundreds of soldiers, and a launcher for powerful weaponry.
Moscow charges Kiev of bombarding the facility, endangering it and thousands of nearby residents.
According to Ukraine, Russian soldiers have even bombarded parts of the plant to give the impression that Ukrainian forces are endangering the whole area.
In the meanwhile, increased bombardment in the nearby towns and cities has caused a mass departure of scared citizens.
Although the Ukrainian government acknowledges that its soldiers sometimes attack Russian forces, they stress they never do so in a dangerous location.
Any assault on nuclear power facilities, according to United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, “is a fatal thing.”
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has urged both sides to allow the area to become a formal demilitarised zone and warned of serious consequences if the facility is hit.
That now seems to be a long shot. It is situated directly on the banks of the Dnipro River at the extreme edge of the Russian-controlled area. It is directly in front of us.
Cities on the Ukrainian side are particularly vulnerable because of this.
It is best to leave questions about whether the fighting at and around the plant is actually flirting with Armageddon and whether a modern nuclear power station can withstand the blows of an active combat zone to the experts.
The three-foot-thick containment structures should shield the reactors at the plant from even direct hits, according to engineers who have been quoted.
However, it’s unclear whether continuous shelling could harm the infrastructure, interrupt power sources and backup generators, or start a fire.
Everyone who lives near the plant has become anxious as a result of the unanswered questions.
Nikopol’s Deputy Mayor, Natalia Horbolit, informed us that “people are afraid.” Everyone is terrified of the worst scenario occurring.
However, there are more pressing issues. Since the brunt of the shelling started last month, according to Horbolit, around 40% of the city’s inhabitants have left.
We are certain that the factory is where the assaults are coming from, she said. “The weapons on that bank are precisely what we know they are. The greatest distance at the range is 10 miles (7 kilometres) from us.”
After Russian artillery shells fell on their apartment complexes this week, we came across a group of terrified elderly ladies sitting on benches in one of Marhenet’s less wealthy districts.
The explosions tore through apartments on the top level and broke windows.
A visually challenged 84-year-old lady informed us that she only had enough time to go inside the restroom for safety.
She said, “The floor shot straight up half a metre.” “I believed that the house was about to collapse on me.”
Another lady pointed to her wrecked balcony, which was seven storeys above us, with twisted metal. She was with her daughter when the incident happened.
She informed us that since the apartment her daughter and family live in is so tiny, she would be unable to remain there.
She also doesn’t want to leave the flat she has lived in for many years.
But this place is too unsafe, she added. “I’m unable to remain here. There is a tonne of garbage everywhere. You cannot remain in the apartment.”
At first, they weren’t interested in talking to us. A few ladies blamed the United States and the West for arming Ukraine and escalating the conflict, which led Russia to carry out atrocities like these, even in the rubble of their destroyed houses.
There are still supporters of Russia in these eastern areas.
The lady started crying when we asked her what she was going to do.
I’m not sure, she said. “I’m not sure,”
She tried to smile as we were leaving, then she thanked us.
She pleaded for the world to be informed of what was occurring.