From Mariia's 16th-floor flat, the calm waters of the Black Sea stretch out into the horizon beneath the fading twilight.
Up here you can see and hear when the drones come, she says, standing by a wall-length, floor-to-ceiling window. When they hit buildings and homes in the city of Odesa down below, we see all the fires too.
Her daughter Eva, who is nine, has learned the shapes and sounds of the objects that zoom through the sky on a daily basis. She proudly shows off a list of social media channels she checks when the air raid alerts go off.
She knows whether what's coming is a risk or a threat, and that calms her down, her father Sergii says.
There is scarcely a place in Ukraine that has not been targeted since Russia launched its full-scale invasion nearly four years ago.
But in recent weeks Odesa – Ukraine's third largest city – has come under sustained attack. Through strikes on port and energy infrastructure, Russia is trying to cripple the region's economy and dent the population's morale.
Moscow, however, does not just hit facilities. Its drones, mostly as big as a motorcycle, regularly crash into high-rise buildings like Masha's, exploding on impact and blowing glass and debris inward. The consequences are often deadly.
A few months ago Eva said she was afraid the drone would come too fast, and we wouldn't have time to hide, Mariia recounts. But I explained that if it came towards us, it would get louder and louder and then we'd know we have to run.
Families like Mariia, Sergii, and Eva, originally from Kherson, left home as soon as the invasion started in 2022 and now find themselves in Odesa amidst mounting attacks.
As the strikes surge, air sirens go off frequently, but not everyone heeds them. Some locals have become complacent about sheltering during alerts, as many in Odesa were left without power for a significant period last year.
Despite the dire circumstances, many residents cling to hope, as they navigate daily life under threat, uncertain of what tomorrow may hold.
