War in Ukraine. The horrors of war by Lyman

Essential services like running water, electricity and heating have been disrupted across eastern Ukraine's Donetsk region. The remaining residents in the town of Lyman install firewood stoves inside their apartments and collect firewood to stay warm. December 23, 2022.

With no electricity, heating or running water, Tatiana collects rainwater to wash the clothes of her and her son.

Nadezhda Vasilievna, 70, fetches water after the war in Ukraine cut off water service in the village of Lazove.

“I moved here in the '80s, and I spent every penny I earned to improve this house” says Olga Andreevna, a resident of Lazove. "How could I have thought my old age would be like this?"

Red Cross trucks deliver dry fuel bricks to help residents of Lyman heat their homes after Ukrainian forces recaptured the city in October following months of Russian occupation.

A man loads dry fuel bricks distributed to the residents of Lyman by the Red Cross.

A Dibrova resident collects dry fuel bricks brought by the Red Cross. Keeping warm this winter is a problem that weighs heavily on most people's minds in the Donetsk region.

The Red Cross distributes dry fuel bricks in Lyman after mines and unexploded munitions have made collecting firewood a serious challenge. Many residents have resorted to cutting down fruit trees from their gardens to stay warm.

“Every time I come to check on the house, the cat tries to get inside. It doesn’t understand that the house is empty now,” says Olga Andreevna, who had to leave her home in Lazove because she could no longer heat it.