How Chernihiv Oblast lives after the occupation and how volunteers help rebuild villages

08.06.2022, 11:03 babel.ua

Chernihiv Oblast is one of the most affected regions in Ukraine since the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion. In February and March, fierce fighting took place here, and until April 1, the Russians were occupying part of the oblast, shelling about 3,500 homes, almost all of them residential. The occupiers killed civilians and looted. There are no surviving houses left in the villages at the epicenter of the fighting. The volunteer initiative Repair Together helps the victims: restores some houses and involves volunteers to dismantle the blockages, arranging charitable gatherings over the weekend. Babel editor Yuliana Skibitska and photographer Andriy Boyko visited one of these events. They cleaned up the destroyed houses, and the locals told how the Russians were looking for vodka, took them out for execution, and demanded their underpants and socks.