The Ukrainian town of Irpin has paid a heavy price during this conflict. Located around 25 kilometers north of the capital Kyiv, it was the scene of heavy fighting when Russian troops took control of it in March.

Ukrainian soliders recaptured it at the end of March, but by then more than 300 people had lost their lives and 3,000 buildings - both homes and businesses – had been damaged, many of them completely.

For the residents, it has been a terrible time, made worse by the fact that, like many parts of Ukraine, Irpin is suffering from severe power shortages due to missile attacks on electricity and gas plants, as well as water supplies.

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Daryna Mykhaylyshyn and Yuriy Sekan, lost their entire house after it got caught in the crossfire. And since then they have been living in an unheated caravan donated by volunteers.

"We wear extra layers of clothes, thanks to donations," they told CGTN. "And we always light a fire in our yard to keep our hands warm. It's much colder living in a caravan than in a house because it is made of metal and chipboard. When temperatures drop below zero, it will be impossible to live here."

Around 30 per cent of the country's power plants have been completely or partially destroyed since early October, resulting in prolonged blackouts for most households.

'The network is all interconnected'

Irpin now experiences scheduled power cuts every three hours or so, and on top of that its Mayor Andriy Kravchuk warned there is always a risk that even this will not last. 

"The electricity network in Kyiv region, as well as the rest of the country, is all interconnected," he explained. "That means if our neighboring village of Makariv comes under attack, it will directly impact us here in Irpin and we too will lose electricity."

Irpin's local authority has been doing all it can to help its residents. It has provided temporary shelters for those who have lost their homes, but electricity is the only source of energy in these places, so the residents cannot even cook during a power cut.

And because the materials from which they are constructed do not retain heat, they start cooling down as soon as the electricity goes, turning the inside as cold as the outside.

A young woman, Arina Savyeniyeva has been living in one of these shelters since July. Her apartment was burnt down during the fighting in March. She initially stayed with a friend but eventually moved here.

The 18-year-old revealed that sometimes when it rains, water leaks into her room, and as a result she finds mould and mildew on her clothes and shoes.

For older people, the winter also brings with it health problems. 

In the past, the large open fire inside Daryna's house helped alleviate her joint pain. Now, all she has is a paltry outdoor fire to ease her suffering.