Defiant locals stand firm amid Russian onslaught in southern Ukraine

The tension is overwhelming in villages near the frontline of Russia's war in Ukraine, reports Euronews' international correspondent Anelise Borges. 

Ukrainian troops have tell her that shelling around Kherson in the south is constant and indiscriminate. 

One soldier, showing Euronews around a school bombed earlier in the conflict, alleges Russian troops are using cluster bombs, which are banned under an international treaty. 

In Sevchenkove, on the road between Kherson and Mykolaiv, some locals say they are staying behind to protect what is left of their homes and country. 

"What can I tell you?" asks Svetlana. "We built these houses with our own hands. To leave this is very hard for us. Very hard. 

"We don’t want this war," she adds, beginning to cry. "We want to live in peace."

Elsewhere in the village, Liubna and her husband Leonid have been spending every night in their dark damp basement.

They have stockpiled jars of pickled vegetables to sustain themselves.

"We are confident and stubborn people and we are waiting for them (the Russians) to be kicked out," said Liubna. "This is my house. I don’t want to give it to them."

Watch Anelise Borges' full report in the video player, above.