Filmmaker Edward Kaprov spent two weeks in April 2026 documenting the lives of civilians remaining in the besieged city of Kherson [1].

The footage provides a rare look at the extreme conditions facing non-combatants who refuse to leave the Dnieper River front line. As Russian forces maintain positions on the left bank, the city has become a precarious zone where survival depends on improvised defenses.

Kaprov lived among the remaining population to record how residents have adapted to constant aerial threats. Many inhabitants now spend their days in underground shelters or beneath anti-drone nets to avoid detection and strikes [1]. The city's current population is estimated at 60,000 inhabitants [1].

This figure represents a massive decline from the period before the war, when the city housed approximately 300,000 inhabitants [1]. The remaining residents face a landscape where the urban environment has been transformed into a series of fortifications and hiding spots.

Kaprov's documentation focuses on the psychological and physical toll of living at the gates of a conflict zone. The footage shows the intersection of daily domestic life and the constant threat of artillery and drone warfare, a reality for those who have stayed in the southern region.

Because the city sits directly opposite Russian forces across the Dnieper, the risk remains constant. The reportage highlights the resilience of the 60,000 people who continue to inhabit the city despite the ongoing siege [1].

“The city's current population is estimated at 60,000 inhabitants.”

The drastic population drop from 300,000 to 60,000 underscores the scale of displacement in southern Ukraine. The reliance on anti-drone nets and underground living indicates that the nature of the siege has shifted toward persistent, low-intensity aerial surveillance and attrition, making traditional urban shelters insufficient for civilian safety.