It was the dead of night and a fire was raging in the apartment building where a Russian drone had struck just minutes earlier.
Through the smoke, residents stumbled down the stairs from their apartments and told fire officers who were trying to account for all the inhabitants that a young woman was renting the top-floor flat.
Artem, 37, was one of several officers on duty that night, March 13, who raced up to try to find her.
On the fifth floor, they broke open the metal door of the woman’s apartment, and dense black smoke billowed into the stairwell.
“There was no apartment,” said Artem, who gave only his first name for security reasons.
Persons:
”, Artem
Locations:
Russian