Saltivka district, Kharkovcovered lives fear and destructionbecause of its effects, missiles who landed there weeks later. A series of popular multi-storey buildings with overhanging roofs. Charred Barabashova market. The hospital next to the Russian Orthodox church. Then houses, bars, shops, small stores, schools and sports centers, scars war It is tried to avoid any noticeable flashes by closing the curtains of the street lamps and houses, which intensifies at night, very little light is left open with one’s eyes closed. Only a few lost cars make their way through the streets like fireflies roaming the dimly lit streets.
These scenes, last witnessed by this journalist at the end of June, have continued to be repeated since then, according to those who stayed there and confirmed the incident. air raid alarms this voice with tragic constancy. no Peace For Saltivka, a neighborhood where the war has made this Ukrainian city the most dangerous area for months. For months, in some areas – especially further north – authorities have advised their citizens to leave the country, but many, many have not done so. This is how they live daily panic In this city, the second most important in Ukraine are the Russians, who continue to be targeted by a professional army, firing at short range at the popularly supported Ukrainians.
“There is almost nothing standing”
This is not the only place in Ukraine that has suffered the damage caused by the war. six month Since its establishment on February 24. Similar snapshots are reproduced, with greater or lesser intensity, in many anonymous villages in the rural areas of the Kharkov region. Donetsk It is still disputed between Ukraine and Russia and in the south of the country, especially in the Ukrainian region. Odessa Y Nikolayev, a city where they once had a water problem because of the pipes they shared with the occupied Jersón. “Some local farmers resigned because there was almost nothing left of their farms,” says Yuri, a teacher and translator from Odessa.
No exact data About the total damage caused by the conflicts in the country; It is a balance that grows as more and more commercial buildings, homes, highways, bridges, airports, industrial facilities and others are added as the days go by. destroyed infrastructure in the whole country. The last figure presented by the Prime Minister of Ukraine, Denys Shmyhalhas been 750 billion dollars will be necessary for reconstruction when the conflict ended, he said at a symposium in Lugano in July; others give higher numbers. this world Health Organization in its regularly updated analysis, some 400 attacks on hospitals and other medical centers.
The Kyiv School of Economics also gave figures in its August study. According to this source, 105,200 cars, 43,700 agricultural machinery, 764 kindergartens, 1,991 shops, 634 cultural centers and 114,700 houses have been damaged or destroyed since the beginning of the Russian occupation. The result of this is a winter what is advertised So hard Even in villages located on the outskirts of the Ukrainian capital, KyivWhere the departure of Russian forces in March left a bleak picture, with some areas completely razed and buildings irreversibly destroyed. And international aid rebuilding doesn’t seem to come that fast militaryIn this country, which is still among 122 (188) in the perception index in 2021, corruption International Transparency.
prefabricated houses
“What we do in towns like Moschun is small modular prefabricated containers So the most affected residents can spend the winter. you have to be careful because they little ones and Cold weather “It’s not so much to help people whose homes were destroyed in the Kyiv area,” says Sergii Zavadskyi, a member of the Ukrainian branch of the Rotary Foundation, one of the private organizations that helps people whose homes were destroyed in the Kiev area. It takes time to arrive, because in the summer everything comes to a standstill. But still, waiting for a restructuring that could take a year or two is a small help,” says Zavadskyi.
According to country officials, about 3.5 million people today homeless They were left in Ukraine, that is, without a home to live in. Others fled and have not yet returned. schools it also threatens to deprive hundreds of children from face-to-face classes. organizations such as Human Rights Watch They also noted cases in different parts of the country where both Russian and Ukrainian troops deployed their forces in residential areas and damaged civilian buildings. They are also witnesses of a conflict. already killed more than 5,000 civilians Injured more than 7,000 people and will sink, according to the UN Ukraine GDP inside Four five% According to the World Bank forecast, in 2022.