Lyubov Voronova still remembers a time before the war when the Oskil River flowing by her east Ukraine home was an idyll where families would swim, picnic and make memories.

Now, nearly three years into Russia's invasion, Kremlin forces have brought panic and destruction to its banks in a war of attrition that has pit invader and defender on opposing sides.

"It's the front line now. They're on one side, and we're on the other," the 72-year-old said in the emptied out village of Sadovod, her cottage's plastic-covered windows blown out by a recent strike.