At first, even as the waters were rising, Viktor Ivankhnenko hoped the one-storey home he had built on a Russian-occupied island in the Dnipro River would be safe. But as day wore into night, it became clear his optimism was misplaced.
By 3am on Wednesday, Viktor, 66, and his wife, Nadiia, knew it was time to leave. Packing up what possessions they could, they got into a boat and paddled desperately to a neighbour’s two-storey house as the waters enveloped their own.
