Russia was attacking the Ukrainian port city of Kherson on Wednesday.- One resident told Insider that Russian troops were "everywhere" and going outside meant risking getting shot.
A resident of the Ukrainian port city of Kherson, which Russia was attacking and said it had captured on Wednesday, said the country's troops were "everywhere" and that people were too scared to walk outside in case they got shot.
Stanislav, who lives with his wife and nine-year-old child, told Insider on Wednesday that soldiers had now reached the center of the city, and that people were not able to travel far or they risked being shot. Insider is not publishing Stanislav's last name for security reasons.
"We are blocked in my city. The Russian soldiers are everywhere, even in the city. They have blocked the city, you cannot pass from one area to walk to another area because they shoot people."
"Russia is shooting buildings, shooting people," he said.
Russia said on Wednesday that it had captured Kherson — which, if true, would be the first large city won in its invasion. But
Russia's invasion of Ukraine started on February 24. Stanislav shared multiple images of destruction in the city that he took on February 28:
'In the night time they start'
Stanislav, who has not taken part in the fighting against Russian troops, said it had felt on Wednesday that Russia had captured the city: "Now it is worse. Now it is terrible."
"The Russian people, they occupy my city, and they are trying to occupy my whole country," he added. "They are trying to kill my country."
Ukraine's parliament said on Wednesday that around 2,000 civilians had died in the invasion so far. Ukraine's military death toll is not clear, though US defense officials estimated to The New York Times on Monday that around 1,500 military personnel had been killed on both the Russian and Ukrainian sides.
Stanislav also shared videos that he had taken from inside the city's air raid shelters:
—Sinéad Baker (@sineadbaker1) March 2, 2022
Mornings in Kherson are the quietest, he said, adding: "We are afraid to go outside from the afternoon."
"We are afraid to go because if we want to buy something everywhere is closed, or has a [long] line," he said.
"We are now drinking water from the sink. We never drink water from the sink before. I always buy water outside and then bring to my home. But now we drink water from the sink. We have no normal food."
As in other Ukrainian cities, Stanislav said the Russian military was doing most of its action in Kherson at night: "In the night time they start," he said.
He said thousands of troops come in by foot and in tanks: "They come in from everywhere."
He said he and his family had spent five nights in underground shelters, but they had now stopped going because he believes Russian soldiers know where they are and that they can easily get in.
"There is danger now, because they understand where people are hidden," he said. Insider has not been able to independently verify that claim.
—Sinéad Baker (@sineadbaker1) March 2, 2022
He said he sat in the bunkers, listening to the sounds of attacks.
During attacks, he said, "we are very quiet because anybody can come inside."
Stanislav also described being woken up when Russia's attacks started last week.
"I was in my home at 5 a.m. in the morning when my wife woke me up and said: 'Putin started the war.'"
"When I wake up my son is crying because of the explosions. It was near to us, like one kilometer. My windows were shaking everywhere in my apartment."
He said that he could not believe what was happening throughout the first day: "But it is real. It is real war."