Thick gray smoke billows from the roof as firefighters arrive at a brick house, one of several homes hit by Russian shelling in a residential area in Kostiantynivka.
The city in eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk province has come under intense bombardment in recent days amid Russian pressure to capture Bakhmut, where Ukrainian forces held out during grinding fighting that began last summer.
Ukrainian officials say Russian forces are assault on kostinativka With cluster bombs and missiles.
The governor of Donetsk province, Pavlo Kirilenko, said one person was killed and at least three civilians were wounded after several rounds of Russian shelling on Saturday.
Eight people were injured and more than a dozen homes were destroyed or damaged in the attack a day earlier in the city. The barrage has overwhelmed local firefighters, who run the risk of setting fires to buildings and cars even as the shelling continues.
The air is heavy with smoke and a strong smell of explosives as firefighters open a hose. They break the windows of the brick house and sprinkle water on it.
There is no man inside, but there is a dog trapped in a cage in the backyard. A firefighter opens the gate and the dog escapes through the smoke and debris.
The head of the unit tells his team to stop what they are doing.
“Attention everyone. Air raid!” he shouts.
Firefighters huddle behind the house, sitting quietly as explosions occur in the close distance.
It is not clear whether the explosions are a new wave of attacks or secondary explosions caused by fires in the area. Either way, they’re getting closer. The team leader orders everyone back in the truck.
As they run down the dirt road, another loud explosion rocks the neighborhood, sending a cloud of smoke skyward far beyond the house they had just left.