Zaporizhzhia, long a refuge for people fleeing Russian occupation further south, is itself becoming a more dangerous place as first person view drones and missiles press closer to the regional capital.

Villages south of the city have come under escalating attack. On 2 November nine Russian glide bombs hit Komyshuvakha, killing at least fifty people who had gathered for humanitarian aid at a local school. Several remain missing under the rubble.

Residents describe drones stalking streets and vehicles, a pattern already seen in Kherson, Kramatorsk and Sloviansk. One man who fled Preobrazhenka, about forty kilometres from Zaporizhzhia, said he and neighbours were in a cellar when drones struck and that he suffered burns to his arms and hands before evacuating to a city shelter. Only a handful of people remained in his village, he said.

City officials are hanging anti drone netting over streets and civilian sites, including petrol stations along the river highway. Boarded windows and wrecked buildings show how hard the threat is to blunt once drones arrive. A regional military administration official said authorities may relocate a displacement shelter to another neighbourhood if the situation worsens. Many shelter residents are elderly or lack papers needed to move on.

Earlier the same day as recent reporting from the city, Russian jet powered missiles struck a shopping mall and the main bridge into Zaporizhzhia, and an FPV drone hit a city bus. Children now walk with handheld drone detectors. Officials say they are ready to evacuate the city if required, but admit it is hard to know how many people remain because departures continue every day.

For thousands who once arrived from Mariupol and Melitopol seeking safety, the fear is that they may have to flee again.