By Mustafa Deveci and Davit Kachkachishvil
IZIUM, Ukraine (AA) – For three months, the Litveninkos hid in the basement of their house in Ukraine's Izium city after it was taken over by Russian forces.
Shortly after the war started on Feb. 24, the city of Izium in the northeastern region of Kharkiv became the hotspot of intense fighting between the Russian and Ukrainian forces.
After being in Russian control for six months, the city was retaken by Ukrainian forces 10 days ago.
Despite fighting, some families decided to stay on in their homes.
Wife Alona, husband Eduvart and their disabled son Victor, 32, were among the families who did not flee the city.
After being away for work for some time, the family returned to their home to spend the New Year together.
However, they became prisoners in their own home after the war started.
Due to the explosions, the window glass of their one-room apartment broke, so they put plastic in their place, the family said.
The residents of the apartment building share a common kitchen and toilet.
Even though Ukraine has recaptured the city, gas and electricity supply has not been restored.
The meals are cooked on wood fire and smoke fills the kitchen, the family said.
In the basement, where the family lived, there was no kitchen or toilet.
It was difficult to breathe, the family said.
Alona Litveninko said they never thought the war would hit so close to home.
One day, we saw in the news that Kharkiv was hit, she said.
"When they started bombing us, we mostly sat in the shelter. We never got out of there. We all ate there.
"There was no electricity, we were sitting in the dark with a flashlight. We were going out to breathe, there was also shelling, and we were running back to the shelter. That is how we lived," she said.
As parents, they protected their son as much as they could.
"Our house was also damaged, I thought the concrete slabs would collapse on us. We were just sitting there. We were covering Victor's head with a blanket so that he could not see or hear all this," she said.
* Writing by Seda Sevencan