With Power And Rail Stations Still Under Attack, Liberated Ukrainians In Northeast Scramble To Fend Off Cold, Hunger
- By RFE/RL
Residents of liberated Ukrainian cities are gathering wood from vacated Russian trenches to burn for heat, while power and rail stations are under continued shelling. Ukrainian aid groups rush to deliver food as locals do what they can to prepare for the colder days and nights to come.
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Everyone lends a hand in getting aid packages home in Izyum, the city in the Kharkiv region liberated by Ukrainian troops in early September. It's estimated that 90 percent of the city is destroyed and its water, gas, and electricity connections all need rebuilding because of heavy Russian shelling. Vans bringing in essentials were quickly surrounded by locals on September 28.
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Supplies empty fast from the food aid boxes brought in by a Christian organization.
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Without electricity or gas for ovens, Izyum residents are grateful for fresh bread delivered by volunteers.
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Russian missile strikes continue to target vital utilities in the Kharkiv region, like this electrical transformer facility, inspected by workers on September 28.
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Many Izyum residents without a consistent clean water supply rely on bottles delivered by volunteers.
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Hundreds of buildings of no military value, from shops to schools, hospitals, and churches, have been damaged or destroyed in Izyum.
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Burning wood for heat and cooking is essential for many residents, with some finding fuel by reclaiming the lumber from abandoned Russian trenches and dugouts.
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Ukrainian firefighters battle to save a railway freight depot in Kharkiv, which was partially destroyed by a Russian missile strike on September 27.
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The extent of the depot's destruction was clear the next day after the flames had been doused.
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UNESCO lists 49 cultural sites destroyed or damaged by Russian shelling in Kharkiv.
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The relief of liberation by Ukrainian soldiers is mixed with anxiety over basic needs as autumn temperatures drop in Izyum. Occupied by Russian forces since early April, the onetime city of 46,600 is now home to roughly 10,000.
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Victorious Ukrainian soldiers found the city quiet and heavily scarred.
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Many older residents have remained in their homes throughout the war despite Ukrainian government pleas for them to move somewhere safer -- an option many in Izyum had only briefly in the spring.
