in Grakove, the inhabitants want to “rebuild their houses and punish the culprits”

Grakove has not changed since his release: the town hall, the school, the houses and shops are on the ground, only a container installed by an association serves as a living space and the queue is unusual in front. “We have already been waiting for more than three hours! Today, it is lawyers from an international organization who are helping us to put together the file to receive financial compensation”explains Nadia, a resident. “That’s the official certificate of destruction of my house, that, the technical inventory of the buildings and that, the deed of ownership.”

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The Ukrainian government has promised financial compensation for any house destroyed during the eight-month occupation. Life has not been able to resume in the villages liberated by the Ukrainian counter-offensive: between Kharkiv and Izium, villages have been razed from the map, others are still waiting for the return of electricity, trapped by mines, and the inhabitants feel abandoned.

Nadia’s house is uninhabitable: a wall and the roof are missing. She came on purpose from the big city of Kharkiv, where she is still a refugee. “We were kicked out of our house when the Russians came here”she says, moved. “But my husband stayed behind to take care of our cows. Then suddenly he was forced out of the house, he was kidnapped. He is considered ‘missing’ until today.”

Beyond compensation, they demand justice

Tania, Tatiana and Olena nod their heads at Nadia’s story. They understand his pain: five men disappeared in Grakove, others were tortured or killed at close range, says Olena. “It’s like Tatiana’s husband who was killed in his home. The Russians shot him, right in the heart. They took his phone and closed the door.” Tatiana’s gaze is lost, she had taken refuge in Germany before coming back here. Beyond the financial compensation for her house, she asks above all for justice.

“We know who was there, and who murdered our loved ones: it’s the Russians and they must be punished. Now that we’ve returned home, we want to live here. What do we need? Simply rebuild our homes , have electricity, and punish the culprits.”

Tatiana, resident of Grakove

at franceinfo

For these residents, things are not going fast enough. The front line is maintained in the east, the Ukrainian soldiers are hoping for a counter-offensive as rapid as that of September, eight months ago. Even in the liberated villages, life remains suspended: the fields are mined, the buildings in ruins and there is no more work.