The Ukrainian city of Lyman has been “completely destroyed”, according to local officials.
Lyman, in the eastern Ukrainian region of Donetsk, was recaptured from Russian forces last week after four long months of occupation, with authorities saying they now facing an enormous task rebuilding.
“You know, almost all de-occupied settlements share the same problem,” says Tetyana Ignatchenko, spokeswoman for the Donetsk regional administration.
“They’re completely destroyed; the infrastructure as well as the houses. So, this is the first problem. And we can see that what people need most is psychological support.”
Tetyana made the comments while wearing Russian army clothes that were left behind by fleeing troops. Her own were destroyed when her house was hit by a rocket.
“I was at home when we were struck,” she says. “I fell into the bathroom, and my daughter was in the hallway. How we weren’t killed, I don’t know.”
Some Lyman residents express anger towards those who supported the pro-Russian separatist movement before the war.
“I was waiting for the Ukrainian army to come … so that they will liberate us from this Russian yoke that invaded our country,” says local resident Oleksander Konovalov, adding he was proud to have saved his Ukrainian flag.
The pre-war population of Lyman was around 20,000 as of October it had fallen to some 5,000.
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