War in Ukraine. The horrors of war by Avdiivka

Viktor Grozdov, 77, sits in the bathroom of his damaged home on June 28 in the eastern Ukrainian town of Avdiyivka. The bathroom has become his refuge when the artillery shells rain down.

A suburb of the city of Donetsk, Avdiyivka is shelled up to 30 times a day.

Grozdov is one of the residents who chose to remain in the burnt-out shell of the former town. AFP journalists first met him on April 4 (pictured) after they found him lying at the bottom of a crater. With his poor eyesight, he had fallen in while gathering food that had spilled out of his bag and was unable to climb out.

Journalists went back to Avdiyivka to check in on the pensioner. They found him living in his shattered apartment without windows. "My soul is at home; it's not trying to leave. I'm not anxious; I've become calm," Grozdov said.

With no electricity or water, Grozdov relies on a camping stove and supplies provided by volunteer to survive. He refuses to leave his home and the town where his wife and son are buried.

Grozdov's neighbor, 63-year-old Vitaliy Zemin, sits in the cellar, where he lives with his wife. He spends much of his time carving wooden animals while wearing a head torch.

A woman who did not wish to provide her name pets a dog in the cold, dark cellar where she lives.

Despite the hardships, Grozdov refuses to leave his home. "Whatever happens, I won't go anywhere now," he said.