Photos show how Ukrainians are fighting to keep the Christmas spirit alive

An elderly woman in her apartment complex bomb shelter in Avdiivka in the Donetsk region stands beside her small Christmas tree.

The fighting near Avdiivka, a town on the front line in eastern Ukraine, has been intense, with Russian forces trying to encircle it, the BBC reports.

In the same apartment basement, a man checks on the wood-burning stove that keeps him and his fellow bomb shelterers warm.

Ukraine's electricity crisis is dangerous and could cost many lives, a top WHO official said.

This Christmas tree in Tychy, Poland, has had its lights switched off to show solidarity with the Ukrainians plunged into darkness this winter.

Many European cities joined in the show of Christmas solidarity with Ukrainians under siege, during an Hour for Ukraine on December 21.

With the UN reporting that over 7.8 million refugees have fled Ukraine, many Ukrainians are celebrating the festive season away from home.

Pictured in Warsaw, Poland, Marija Berezhko gives a handmade gift to her loved ones during a festive meal at a restaurant.

Poland has received over 1.5 million refugees from Ukraine, according to UN data.

International volunteers are working hard to ensure that Ukrainians, in their dangerous and bitterly cold winter, still can enjoy the Christmas season.

Since the start of the war, over 13,000 Ukrainian troops have been killed, the BBC reports.

In addition to this, almost 7,000 civilians have died, according to UN data.

Christmas is also now a time of remembrance and mourning for family members that won't be present at the festivities.

This photo shows a memorial for people who died in violent protests against the then-Ukrainian government forming closer ties with Russia in 2014.

The protests marked the start of the wars between Ukraine and Russia.

Children gather around a storyteller at "St. Nicholas' Hut" in the Museum of Folk Architecture and Life in Lviv, Ukraine, listening to the traditional story of St Nicholas, the religious inspiration for Santa Claus and Father Christmas, on December 19.

As well as gifts for themselves, the children asked St Nicholas for anti-aircraft defense systems, peace, and victory for Ukraine said the photographer who took the image.

War and fear in Ukraine are now a part of daily life, but they will not let it dampen the Christmas spirit.

Hours after Russia launched a "kamikaze" drone attack hitting key infrastructure in and around Kyiv, Mayor of Kyiv Vitaliy Klichko and his fellow Ukrainians gathered around the Sofiyska Square Christmas tree.

A semblance of hope and joy as Ukrainians do what they can to bring in the festive season.