After a Russian airstrike claimed the lives of at least 50 civilians trying to leave the Ukrainian city of Kramatorsk on April 8, the residents who still remain are facing a tough choice: make the best of life in a ghost town or try to evacuate on their own.
Trains are no longer evacuating civilians from the region via Kramatorsk’s train station since a Russian air strike claimed a number of lives last week.
The April 8 attack provoked the majority of the population into leaving the city, while some of those remaining are still trying to find a way out.
Certain parts of Kramatorsk resemble a ghost town – between the destroyed buildings and barricaded windows, sirens go off nonstop.
But one jogger was out running, trying to live her life. "They told me to leave, but I stayed in 2014 [when Russia invaded Crimea] and now our fighters are more organised," she said. "I love my city and I want it to stay intact."
And some of the city's business owners are resisting. "People can't buy anything to eat, and that's why I'm staying open," said one woman still running her take-away sandwich shop. "People are very grateful."
Among those who have stayed, there are some who have nowhere else to go. Others are still trying to leave. It is not hard to find citizens who believe Ukraine will triumph over Russia.
"Who should I be afraid of, of that dwarf [Putin]? No I will never be afraid of him, thanks to our children, we have gas, electricity and a normal life..." Nadia Kalichenko, one of the city’s residents and a member of the “Together Until Victory" Association, told FRANCE 24, as was putting together camouflage netting for Ukrainian vehicles and soldiers.
"If this means even one life will be saved, then we will be happy."
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Reporting by Karim Yahiaoui, Mohamed Farhat, Grigoriy Veprik and Joseph Keen
