The people of the small town of Novoluhansk are asking for evacuation as Russian artillery fire rumbles. About half of the residents are still in the city.
In the shadow of the Russian invasion and the war waged by the counter-Ukrainian army, thousands of civilians are trying to survive day in and day out in rudimentary conditions.
A reporter who visited the city of the canal on June 7th Maryan Kushnir reports that grenades from Russian artillery regularly hit Novoluhansk. Due to the fire, the population cannot be helped.
The city has no electricity, gas or running water. When the cannon fire breaks, the women prepare food over an open fire.
At the cooking site, the woman estimates that half of Novoluhansk’s residents – about 1,600 to 1,700 – are still in the city. The atmosphere is desperate and the people want to get out of the war.
The escalation of the war makes evacuation more difficult
Novoluhanske is located on the border between the territory controlled by Ukraine and the “People’s Republic” of Donetsk, founded by Russia. The Ukrainian army regained control of the city five years ago, but now the residents are in distress again.
Residents of Severodonetsk, which has been the focus of fighting, are also trapped. In May, the acceleration of the Russian invasion prevented the population from fleeing the battlefield.