Squeezed between the Ukrainian and Russian front lines in an increasingly volatile battlefield in southeastern Ukraine, the small town of Orikhiv is constantly under fire, and Tamara Mikheenko, one of the few residents who remain, rarely leaves her basement.
"All the time in the basements, at night, under fire,” Mikheenko, 70, said as yet another explosion thumped outside. "It’s very scary, like a lightning bolt, everything is falling apart, the house is falling apart.”
Struggling to communicate through tremendous sobs on Tuesday, Mikheenko begged world leaders, including the presidents of the United States, Russia and Ukraine, to do whatever was necessary to stop the savagery, even as Russian forces appeared to be preparing a large offensive that officials said could steamroll Orikhiv in the coming days.