Ukraine: in the city of Kherson, "there is almost nothing left"

2023-02-17T05:30:24.852Z

On the southern front, the situation has remained unchanged for weeks. In Kherson, Russians and Ukrainians face each other on either side of the river, the Dnieper. The situation is particularly tense in…

Reporting

Ukraine: in the city of Kherson, "there is almost nothing left"

Audio 01:27

In Ukraine, a street on the island of the Delta of Kherson emptied of its inhabitants.

Text by: RFI Follow

2 mins

On the southern front, the situation has remained unchanged for weeks.

In Kherson, Russians and Ukrainians face each other on either side of the river, the Dnieper.

The situation is particularly tense in isolated areas of the river delta, which are under constant bombardment.

With our special correspondents in Kherson,

Anastasia Becchio and Boris Vichith

It's a dormitory district of Kherson that looks like a ghost town.

The locals call it “the island”: a piece of land wedged between two branches of the Dnieper which is subjected to almost incessant bombardments.

At an empty crossroads, in front of a house with a gutted roof, with a “for sale” sign, a woman and her son are waiting for a taxi.

Halyna Horbanenko's drugstore was hit by a shell overnight.

She came to pick up some things in this store that she had closed two months ago.

It had become impossible to work there, because it pulls from everywhere.

I was given another store in another neighborhood, but even there, there is hardly anyone left.

In the bar of buildings of 500 apartments, there are only 80 people left and, every day, people leave.

The explosions we hear, it's usual.

You see, there is almost nothing left here.

But it does not matter, we will rebuild!

Halyna and her son rush into a taxi.

A few seconds later, a hiss, followed by a heavy explosion.

A shell fell a hundred yards away.

We must leave the place, announce Oleksandr and Sergei, of the 124th territorial defense brigade.

It is not recommended to stay too long here.

The Russians, opposite, try to find our positions and they fire blindly. There are only 800 meters/one kilometer which separate us from the other bank.

Any weapon can hit this area, even a rifle.

The remaining inhabitants rarely venture into the streets.

Thursday, February 16, a 70-year-old lady was killed by a shell.

► To read also: Ukraine: the Russians maintain the pressure in the Kherson region

Ukraine: in the city of Kherson, "there is almost nothing left"

Ukraine: in the city of Kherson, "there is almost nothing left"

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