in southern Ukraine, residents are already rebuilding homes destroyed by war

“Work has started. I want to go home as soon as possible”, says Natalia. The house of this resident of Hannivka, in the Kherson region of Ukraine, was partly hit by a missile on March 21. “There is no roof in some places and the door has also been broken down”she describes.

>> “I hope to be in Kherson at the beginning of autumn”: in southern Ukraine, the counter-offensive gives hope to exiles

So, Natalia rebuilds, despite the lack of gas and electricity, and with the background sound of the muffled and incessant sound of artillery fire on the front, about ten kilometers away. “Strikes, it can happenshe concedes, resigned. It’s risky yes, but I was born here, I got married, I have my children. How to do ? Where do you want me to live?”

“I understand that it’s risky but hope gives life. I hope that the Ukrainian army will start its counter-offensive as soon as possible. We will have victory and we will return home.”

Like Natalia, several inhabitants of the villages near the front line have also started rebuilding their homes. All are counting on the counter-offensive in the south of the country. It must be said that for several weeks, the Ukrainian army seems to be regaining ground from the Russians, thanks to numerous and recurrent offensives.

So on the front, a few kilometers from the village of Natalia, the morale of the Ukrainian soldiers is necessarily good. Roman, aka ACDC, fighting on the front line
for five months.

Roman alias ACDC fights in the 1st line on the front of #Kherson. According to him, the Ukrainian army has regained ground on the Russians. The frontline in his area is now straight, airtight, and harder to break through. A counter-offensive is in preparation. #Ukraine pic.twitter.com/SBToylRIJO

— Thibault Lefevre (@thibaultlefevre) August 12, 2022

“Our mission is not very specialrecognizes Roman. Our objective, on the front, is to hold the Russians in order to prepare a global counter-offensive. What I do know is that the tactic consists in not letting the enemy pass and if possible pushing them back a little further.”

“We want to stabilize the front line and hold a straight, airtight line.”

This counter-offensive is not only being prepared on the front, but also in the rear, where long-range artillery fire on Russian positions has not ceased.