The city of Volnovakha has been under the control of the Russian Armed Forces and pro-Russian separatists from eastern Ukraine since March 11
The settlement of Volnovakha in the Donetsk region of Ukraine has been reminiscent of a ghost town since the end of February.
Volnovakha district is one of 18 districts of the Donetsk region in the east of Ukraine. About 22 thousand people lived in the administrative center of the district – the city of Volnovakha before the start of the war (February 24). Since March 11, this part of Ukraine has come under the control of the Russian Armed Forces and pro-Russian separatists.
4 days after the start of the war, the city was on the verge of a humanitarian crisis. By the end of the first week of hostilities in Volnovakha, up to 90 percent of residential buildings were damaged. Almost all houses in Volnovakha are abandoned, infrastructure and roads are destroyed.
We lived through a nightmare
One of the last residents of Volnovakha, Natalya Terpegorieva, who managed to survive after intense fighting, told the Anadolu agency about her experience. “February 25-26, the nightmare began. The city was engulfed in flames. It is very difficult to describe what we had to go through,” she said.
According to Terpegorieva, people tried to survive in the basements of houses. “Our neighbor’s house was destroyed. At first we thought we had attacked our house. It turned out that the bomb fell 10 meters from our house. Our house, basement, everything was shaking. I tried to protect my son. Because of the bombing, my ears were blocked,” she said.
Terpegoryeva noted that she wants to leave the city with her son, since there is no future here.
I lost my hearing due to the explosion
Another resident of Volnovakha, Alexander Kulishenko, said that during the shelling, a mine exploded next to him. “The blast wave broke a tree, knocked out the doors of the house, shattered glass in the windows. I partially lost my hearing,” he said.
Kulishenko said the future was uncertain for him. “We will live if fate has left us alive. We have no other choice,” he said.
On the night of February 24, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the start of a special military operation in the Ukrainian Donbas. Following this, the Russian army attacked Ukraine.
Ukrainian cities, including Kyiv, were subjected to missile and bomb attacks.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky said in response that martial law was introduced throughout the country.
The Ukrainian leader also announced a break in diplomatic relations with Russia.
The Kremlin’s actions were condemned at the UN and in most capitals of the world.
Tough sanctions have been imposed on Russia.