Water from the Dnipro river arrives sooner than expected on the road leading to Kherson's riverbanks.
Over the brown, cloudy flood waters in front, rooftops are visible. The roof of a small truck is to the right.
On rare occasions, a tiny rescue boat makes its way through the underwater streets to rescue people trapped in their homes.
The Kakhovka dam, which was destroyed on Tuesday, is about 75 kilometers (45 miles) downstream from the city, and low-lying areas have been severely impacted by flood waters.
The entire destructive scope of Russia's invasion has been felt in this city.
Viktoriia is introduced to us; her home was destroyed in February.
She tells us, "I moved here to my son's apartment, which has now flooded.". "We succeeded in leaving. ".
There was a panic, so we had to grab the dogs and flee right away. My brother also has partial paralysis. ".
Living toward what is now a watery horizon, Viktoriia is concerned for her neighbors. Water levels may increase further and are anticipated to reach their peak in the ensuing hours.
My neighbors are essentially being held hostage, she claims. "I don't know if the emergency services can enter the building, but they need to be aware that there are more people there," said the speaker. Help, please!".
Viktoriia's story may make you feel helpless, but she represents a change in attitude in this situation.
I'm hoping everything will be okay again," she says. "We'll be set free, and this nightmare will come to an end. ".
After being occupied, Kherson was finally freed after fierce fighting. Usually, it is shelled, but now it is.
When we visited in November of last year, there was a persistent optimism.
The city, the only regional center in Ukraine to have been taken over by Russian forces during the invasion last year, had just been freed by Ukrainian forces after a quick counteroffensive.
Now, that environment has changed. It's less positive. The public has had enough.
Between Kiev and Moscow, the Kakhovka dam has come to represent leverage. Ukrainian authorities shut it down and disconnected the peninsula from a significant water supply when Russia first annexed Crimea in 2014.
Then, Ukraine claimed last year that invaders had planted explosives in the dam, but the Kremlin denied this.
With its breaching and subsequent destruction, one side has now played their entire hand.
Daria Sipigina and Rachael Thorn contributed more reporting.