This is one of occasional shows about life in Ukraine during the war.
PREOBRAZHENKA, Ukraine – This small village in south-eastern Ukraine appears tranquil at first glance, a typical Ukrainian village with lush fields and lovingly tended courtyards. But the war did not spare it.
“It’s quiet at night, so we hear distant grenade sounds,” said one resident, Tamara, 59, who asked to be identified by her first name only to avoid unwanted attention. “During the day we plant as many vegetables as possible – nobody knows what the winter will bring.”
When Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in February last year, she and the three granddaughters she is raising moved into the basement of their home because it was “noisy and spooky outside”. But within days, they realized that it was impossible to live there in the damp cold.
“Many villagers left when it all started, but eventually most returned,” Tamara said one afternoon recently. “Here we have a house, a garden and our own vegetables, but what can you do far from here without money and a home? So we stayed.”
According to the local authorities, three people suffered life-threatening injuries a few days later in Preobrazhenka as a result of the shelling.
Ukrainian soldiers carried Mr. Serenkov’s coffin. Credit: Mauricio Lima for The New York TimesA post-funeral lunch. Photo credit: Mauricio Lima for The New York Times
But it was quiet when Tamara spoke. Her granddaughters helped in the garden and played with their little dog, Javeline. They were aware that there had already been two funerals in the village for fallen soldiers fighting the invaders and that a third was forthcoming. “We’re not sure if we’re going to the funeral tomorrow, but you know where it’s going to be, everyone will be there,” said the youngest, Yana, 9.
Another villager, who asked to be identified by his first name only, Yurii, 69, joked and laughed until he started talking about his family. One of his sons is at the forefront.
Yana, 8, in the middle, plays with her dog, her siblings and her grandmother in front of her house. Credit: Mauricio Lima for The New York Times After Mr Serenkov’s funeral, his parents, Asiia Serenkov, 81, in the foreground, and Petro Serenkov, 72, second from right, gathered with other mourners in their backyard. Photo credit: Mauricio Lima for The New York Times
On the day of the third burial, the village was crowded from early morning. Along the main street, people with flowers and flags lined up, waiting for the funeral procession to say goodbye to Ruslan Serenkov, 37, a machine gunner who died on June 5 while fighting near Bakhmut.
His widow, Nadiia Serenkova, 34, now faces the task of raising their two children, Sophia, 8, and Illia, 12.
“I can’t talk about him right now,” she said of her husband. “I just can’t imagine my life without him.”
The Serenkov family was no stranger to misfortune. His mother Asiia (81) is from Kazakhstan and his father Petro (72) is from Belarus. After the Chernobyl nuclear disaster brought radioactivity to Belarus in 1986, they fled their hometown of Homel and started a new life in Preobrazhenka.
Asiia Serenkov said that her son liked the army. Just before he died, she said, he said to her, “Mom, you can’t imagine how many good people there are.” I should have joined the army much sooner.”