Fear and destruction turn Ukraine's frontline cities into ghost towns

[onthedarkside]

 

SLOVYANSK, Ukraine—For Vadim Lyakh, the mayor of this once bustling city now in Russia’s line of fire, every day feels like Groundhog Day.

 

“I wake up, clarify the damage caused by the latest shelling, check in with troops defending the city and visit civilians whose homes have been destroyed,” he said. “It’s the same, grim pattern.”

 

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has turned cities in the Donbas region into ghost towns. As Moscow’s forces push west, seeking to dislodge Ukrainians from their positions and seize control of the country’s east, residents are fleeing in droves, aided by volunteers who risk their lives to ferry them out.

 

The exodus is leaving behind empty streets and a silence that amplifies the dull thump of artillery exchanges just outside city limits.

 

(more)

 

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/fear-and-destruction-turn-ukraine-s-frontline-cities-into-ghost-towns/ar-AAYdaYV