The city was liberated in November but ever since the Russians have been bombarding it from across the Dnieper River
Vitaliy Savchenko showed off the damage from a Russian shell that had landed right across the street. Shrapnel tore holes in his garage and blew off the kitchen door. There were three neat gaps in his car. “When it’s a mortar you have five seconds to react. With a Grad missile it’s a bit longer – about 18 seconds,” he said. “A tank round is instantaneous. There’s no time to hide.”
Savchenko lives in Kherson, the southern city triumphantly liberated on 11 November by Ukrainian forces. He spent nine months under occupation. When friendly troops came down the main Ushakov avenue, Savchenko waved a blue and yellow flag he had hidden under the stairs, along with his mobile phone. The next evening he held a party with friends. They clinked glasses in celebration.
