In Kherson, Ukraine’s only major frontline city, residents have adapted to a life of constant danger. The streets are draped in anti-drone nets, and many daily activities have moved underground to avoid Russian shelling and drone attacks. The city, once home to 300,000 people, now has about 60,000 residents, including 5,000 children.
Galyna Lutsenko, a crisis psychologist, runs sessions for children in a basement shelter. She uses play therapy to help them cope with stress. ‘The children are always under pressure,’ she says. ‘They are always stressed, with some of the children afraid to come out after the shelling.’ Her own home was hit by Russian shelling in 2024, injuring her leg and stomach.
The city’s infrastructure reflects the threat. Supermarket windows are boarded, and buildings show damage from artillery and glide bombs. The main approach from the coast is now a three-sided net tunnel. Authorities have installed 62 miles of anti-drone nets to counter the Russian ‘drone safari’ that began in May 2024, targeting civilians.
Despite the dangers, life continues. The perinatal clinic, located in the dangerous ‘red zone’ near the Dnipro River, operates from a Soviet-era bomb shelter. Khrystyna Furman, 23, a patient at the clinic, says: ‘Life goes on. We live on the outskirts. This is one of the most dangerous areas of the city here. But everything is OK. I’m local, all my family are local. And this is my home.’
Not everyone is as sanguine. Volodymyr Gorbachevsky, the clinic’s director, lives in the red zone and avoids leaving home unless necessary. His apartment block, once home to 15 families, now has only three. ‘I don’t go to cafes or restaurants. We stay at home and use the internet and watch TV,’ he says.
