Russia's attacks on Ukraine's energy grid force the Ukrainian city residents to switch elevators into stairs. Frequent power outages bring elevators to a halt. When the power is on, taking the elevator equals taking the risk of getting trapped inside a stuck metal box.

In tower blocks, walking up the stairs is a safer option. But it can cause hardship for people who need to climb up in the darkness carrying heavy bags of groceries. One doesn't have enough hands to use a flashlight to illuminate their way home.

To make ascending easier, my neighbours installed DIY lamps to mark the stairs all the way up. Each unit consists of a LED and two AA batteries. A LED consumes extremely little power, so the mini lamps are dubbed “perpetual candles”.