Some 1,300 evacuees have fled Kherson city’s Korabelniy district since Russia began bombing a bridge on August 2 that connects to the urban center to the north.
Some residents have left home behind, carrying only pets and minimal belongings as volunteers help rescue elderly or ailing residents.
“I only took the bare essentials,” said Inna, who spoke to RFE/RL’s Ukrainian Service. “I evacuated with my dog. My neighbors, too. We’ll be living together for a while. Last year, a shell hit my house and my husband was killed. The dog was injured.”
Dramatic videos of the Korabelniy bridge being blasted have spread across social media channels, underscoring the risk to Ukrainians who live near boundaries where Russians have occupied territory.
In the early days of Russia’s three-year war on Ukraine, occupying forces managed to seize Kherson city, the only major municipality taken. But Ukrainians regained control of the city in late 2022 as Russians withdrew to areas south of the Dnieper River.
From that territory, Russia has been launching air strikes on the northern Kherson region ever since.
The Korabelniy district, while a part of Kherson city, is made up of a group of Kosheva River islands connected to the main municipality by one key traffic bridge along with a separate train bridge. The Kosheva is a tributary to the Dnieper.
Locals who are dependent on supplies from Kherson city have been rattled at seeing days of glide bomb strikes on the traffic bridge. While it remained passable on August 5, concerns have been growing over whether the bridge will remain standing.
One resident of the island district described the attacks as “Terrifying! It was like an apocalypse!” Valentyna added, “We were at home when that bomb struck. There was a huge explosion — all the doors in the house were knocked open.”
Others in the district have said electrical and gas supplies have been cut off as the Russian attacks continue.
