Borodianka, Ukraine, April 5, 2022 (AFP) – After the withdrawal of Russian troops last week, Borodianka, a town 50km northwest of the Ukrainian capital Kiev, shows signs of violence with destroyed buildings, clothes on trees and tanks. .
A road trip in the small Ukrainian town is now an ominous procession.
A massive explosion occurred in an apartment building. Next to a collapsed building is a burnt tank. A few toys are scattered around the streets.
Nothing is where it should be and some houses have fallen into rubble.
The withdrawal of Russian troops last week left traces of the battle for control of Borodianka.
On the muddy middle street, Mykola Kazmyrenko, not realizing what is happening, pushes a grocery cart with aid packages inside.
“I can’t look, I’m starting to cry,” says the 57-year-old. “People became homeless.”
AFP reporters did not see any bodies during their quick visit to Borodianka, but residents say many neighbors died in the Russian attack.
“I know five civilians who died,” says 58-year-old Rafik Azimov. However, we do not know how many people remained in the basements of the buildings that were destroyed after the bombings,” he said.
AFP reporters observed 20 bodies on the streets in the town of Bucha, between Borodianka and Kyiv, on Saturday.
In Borodianka’s case, the devastation seems greater, though the human cost is uncertain.
Most of the windows are broken and signs of life in the homes are now visible from the street: a magnetic fridge, a brown oriental rug hanging on the wall, or a solid set of kitchen knives.
Some units in a nine-story apartment building were completely destroyed.
A hole in the building allows you to observe the sky. Several circles became a pile of bricks and twisted metal.
Broken glass and the sound of cats amongst the debris mark the march. The grass on the roundabout leading to the city disappeared as the tanks passed.
Cell phones don’t work, but two people climbed an apartment block in search of a signal.
Other residents are breaking into the houses to remove their belongings: the detonator teams have not yet completed the work.
In the central square stands the bust of the poet Taras Shevchenko, a symbol of Ukrainian culture. But the monument has two bullet holes.
The back of the plaque reads: “Love your Ukraine, love it. In the fierce times and the last difficult moments.”
– “Cruels” – Valentyna Petrenko traveled from a nearby town to witness what happened on Borodianka.
“When the Russians came, they took our cell phones and searched our homes. We tried to act normal to them so as not to provoke them,” said the 67-year-old Ukrainian.
“A missile fell on our village, my house was destroyed,” he said. “The Russians have committed atrocities, many atrocities.”
Volodymyr Nahornyi is leaving Borodianka on his bike, but has to leave the vehicle on a collapsed bridge and proceed on foot.
After finding Petrenko, he turns around and looks at the destroyed city.
“All the apartments have been robbed and vandalized,” he says. “Everything is ruined, everything is damaged. I have buried six people. There are more people under the rubble.”
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source: Noticias
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.