Photo by Ivan Zakharenko | Kyiv city. May 14, 2022 | A resident of apartment No. 13
“When Russian entered, they took men, women, and children from their homes at gunpoint and held them in the basement of the local school for four weeks—around 130 people cramped in a room roughly 65 sq m (700 sq ft) in size. About 40 or 50 children were among those held captive, including babies; the youngest was just two months old. There was barely any room. We were living sitting up. We were sleeping sitting up. Not that we slept at all. It was impossible. So many shells were landing around here. It was unbearable. When people died, their bodies couldn’t immediately be removed. Russian soldiers would not allow it to happen every day. And because of the constant fighting outside—mortar shelling, explosions, and gunfire—it was dangerous as well. This meant that people, including children, lived among corpses for hours, and sometimes days, until they could be taken outside.”