Burrowed underground , a grubby five-year-old boy peeks expectantly around a makeshift door as a woman prepares his pancakes . Like the rodent he keeps as a pet , Pavel has grown accustomed to a subterranean existence after nine months living in a basement where he eats , sleeps and plays . Accompanied by his family and a group of others who have seen their city descend into a war zone , the young boy takes refuge from the ever-present threat of stray bullets and artillery fire . Waiting for lunch : Pavel Makeev , age 5 , peeks his head through a doorway while waiting for his lunch to be cooked in Donetsk , Ukraine . Pavel and his family live in the basement of the cultural centre in Petrovskiy , an area of Donetsk under pro-Russian rebel control , and the city above him has seen months of heavy and terrifying clashes between Ukrainian troops and rebels . Since the February 15 ceasefire , fighting may have eased but it has not stopped altogether . The thump of artillery fire and the rattle of automatic guns still echo through a bleak landscape of fallen trees and splintered houses . Going home is still not a safe option . Life in the basement is simple , but with working electricity , the family have light and are able to use stoves to cook . A shabby collection of furniture and materials salvaged from buildings above decorates their underground home . Much of the natural light that the few windows allow in is blocked by protective sandbags . The desperate family are just a few of the thousands of civilians who were forced to flee their homes because of the conflict - which began in April 2014 after Kiev sent its military to the southeastern regions that refused to recognize the new authorities in the capital . Nearly a year of fighting has led to at least 5,793 deaths , according to UN estimates . Another 14,595 people have been wounded in the conflict . New life : The young boy holds his pet , Masha , who lives with him in his underground home in the Petrovskiy neighborhood of Donetsk . Basic amenities : Pavel and his family were forced to flee their home and move to the squalid basement for their own safety . Underground existence : Beneath the city , Pavel and his sister Raya are safer from the constant threat of stray bullets and artillery fire . Harsh environment : People have been living in this basement since June 2014 , two months after the conflict in Ukraine began . Light relief : The basement has working electricity , meaning the children can watch television while they take refuge from the fighting . Ruined building : An apartment in the neighbourhood is destroyed and abandoned after being hit by artillery rounds in Donetsk , Ukraine . Living area : The haphazard collection of furniture provides the inhabitants of the basement with what little comfort they have . Makeshift bed : Most of the beds consist of pieces of material and furniture salvaged from the war-torn city above . Children 's bedroom : Two bunk beds are set up for youngsters in the basement of the Petrovskiy neighborhood cultural centre . Makeshift kitchen : Electric burners are used to cook food for the inhabitants of the basement as they take refuge from fighting in Donetsk . Making the best of it : Eleonora Tsvetaeva makes a rare trip home since the ceasefire between Ukrainian soldiers and pro-Russian rebels . Household chores : A woman named Lubov empties dirty water into a canister after making a lunch of oat pancakes in the basement home . Hell above ground : A man walks past a building that has been peppered with shrapnel from artillery rounds landing nearby in Donetsk . Forced to flee homes : A woman leaves her grubby living area by climbing through this opening between makeshift curtains . Extreme measures : Thousands of civilians have been forced to flee their homes since the conflict in Ukraine began in April 2014 . Heavy toll : Nearly a year of fighting has led to at least 5,793 deaths , according to UN estimates . Another 14,595 people have been wounded . Making lunch : Women prepare lunch of oat pancakes in the basement of the cultural centre in Petrovskiy , where there has been heavy fighting . Civil conflict : A tattered Ukrainian flag sits in the clothes drying room . The Petrovskiy neighborhood of Donetsk , which is under pro-Russian rebel control , has seen heavy fighting .
Pavel Makeev and his family were forced to move to an underground basement shortly after the conflict began . They are from the Petrovskiy neighbourhood , which has seen heavy fighting between Ukrainian troops and rebels . Family are among thousands who have had to flee their homes after being bombarded with bullets and artillery fire .