Life continues without basic services a month after the end of the siege at Mariupol's Azovstal steelworks, which marked the Russian takeover of the coastal city. Those who have been left behind are largely cut off from the rest of the world, with limited access to cell phones and the internet.
"It was hell on earth there." "There are no words to explain it," said Vladimir Korchma, 55, who had lived in Mariupol his entire life and worked as a machinist at a local plant.
"We didn't have access to gas or power." Korchma, who fled the city at the end of May, remarked, "Only the lucky ones had water."
Korchma, a strong man with piercing blue eyes, spoke outside a Kyiv aid centre for people fleeing Mariupol. The centre, which offers food and organises housing, is the first stop for many people who have fled the city.
Korchma then opened his phone to show photographs of a demolished apartment building, as did many of his fellow ex-Mariupol residents, all eager to demonstrate the impact of Russia's invasion on their lives.
"This was our house," Korchma added, pointing at the screen. "It is now in ruins. I never imagined I'd be homeless at the age of 55."
Around 90,000 Ukrainians are still living in the city, with little access to electricity, phones, internet, water, or healthcare.