Shaken by an increasing number of Russian drone attacks, residents of Kostyantynivka in Ukraine's Donetsk region are fleeing their homes as fighting in the area intensifies.
Once home to more than 60,000 people, Kostyantynivka has long been a key Ukrainian strongholds in the war-torn Donetsk region.
Now, with around 8,200 residents remaining, the strategic city is under constant threat from Russian drones, which locals say often chase them, pounding their long-standing homes.
Speaking to RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service in late July, Kostyantynivka resident Oksana said she had experienced such incidents in the past.
"It approaches you and starts flying around. You hide -- it flies away," she said, adding that her family is now thinking of fleeing the area.
Like Oksana, many other civilians are also reconsidering whether to stay in Kostyantynivka, despite a lack of sufficient resources.
In a video showing charred parts of the city and roads covered with anti-drone nets, RFE/RL captured the last-minute goodbyes of those who had previously chosen to stay behind.
Attempting to encircle both Kostyantynivka and Pokrovsk, Russian forces have tried to seize key roads leading deeper into the Donetsk region and open a route toward the Dnipropetrovsk region.
Despite claims by Russian military officials, ground assaults have failed to yield any strategic gains in the summer offensive.
However, combined with drone strikes and guided bombs, Russia appears to be achieving at least one of its objectives: depopulating the area, leaving its troops with a clearer path through largely abandoned towns with reduced civilian resistance.
While leaving Kostyantynivka, some residents told RFE they had previously stayed in the city hoping for peace. Others couldn't bear to abandon the homes they had lived in for years.
"I had my doubts. Something was keeping me here," one elderly resident said, praying for God's mercy as she was driven from the city by the members of humanitarian mission.
"Goodbye, my house," she repeated through tears, kissing the front door for the last time.
