Euronews finds out how reconstruction work in a shelled village to the west of Kyiv is helping to restore hope among residents.
ADVERTISEMENT
Shortly after Russia began its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the village of Buzova found itself at the very heart of a deadly offensive in the region.
The town is west of Kyiv, and for a couple of months, Russian forces were stuck in the area.
Igor Tkachuk was one of the people who lived through that period of uncertainty, helping Ukrainian forces the best he could.
"On 5 March, Russian troops started shooting at our houses," Tkachuk told Euronews.
"We managed to get almost all the people who were in their homes down to the basement. Unfortunately, ten minutes later, a massive shelling of these residential buildings began. In that block, one woman was killed" he beckoned.
After the incident, Tkachuk began tipping off Ukrainian forces on the movements of Russian troops as they were circling the village.
Tkachuk added that the Russian army was there complete with troops, tanks, and artillery.
“From [a rooftop] I had a wonderful view of their location.
“It was one of the best points to observe their movements, which allowed me to direct our troops for five or six days.”
Thanks to international funds collected by the governement organisation UNITED24, created by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky reconstruction of the destroyed buildings has started, as in many other parts of the country.
Watch Euronews' report from Buzova to learn more about the situation on the ground.