In brief
Olena Konoplia, a Kielb resident, has chosen to leave the city for a quiet rural cottage two hours outside Kyiv. Facing heightened Russian shelling and recurring power grid failures, she sought a safer, heat‑secure life. After weeks of careful selection, she settled on a small village free from factories, warehouses and rail lines. The move underscores how civilians seek refuge in the countryside to avoid the harsh winter conditions that Russian attacks risk leaving the capital power‑deprived.
Olena Konoplia, a resident of Kyiv, has decided to move to the Ukrainian countryside as Russian attacks on the city have intensified and the prospect of another cold winter looms.
Russia has been targeting Ukraine's power grid, leaving locals without electricity and heating, and they will soon face prolonged periods of sub‑zero temperatures.
Olena told the BBC she spent weeks looking for a suitable location before settling on a cottage in a rural community two hours outside the capital.
"I decided the better option will be a little village without any factories, any [warehouses] and any railway stations," Olena explained.
