The City of Rivers and the Hum of the Shahed: A Report from Mykolaiv, which the Russians Failed to Capture

Half a million Mykolaiv residents live to the sound of air raids and explosions, open cafes, and go out to the streets every day to fetch water. LEGO models of the future are growing next to the buildings destroyed by Russian missiles, and volunteers and artists are bringing the ancient architecture back to life. LIGA.net's report is about Mykolaiv, which refuses to let itself go.

"I wake up to explosions, it buzzes and buzzes, buzzes and buzzes somewhere above the house. I'm tired of thinking every night that this is the last one." In Mykolaiv, it's 15 minutes to the commandant's office, and the two guys are talking to each other in a hurry to get home. The asphalt has not yet cooled from the August heat – Mykolaiv is considered one of the hottest cities in Ukraine.