Ukraine in pictures: The destroyed village Oleksandrivka near Kherson

Oleksandrivka became a frontline village right after Russa’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Both Russian and Ukrainian forces have taken control over the settlement a few times since then.

The Ukrainan military was defending Oleskandrivka until mid-April trying not to let the enemy move forward to the west and occupy the Mykolaiv region. The photo shows the ruins of a school building that was completely destroyed by Russian shelling in March.

In the years before the war, Oleksandrivka and the nearby village of Stanislav used to attract many tourists thanks to the beautiful scenery. Tourists were fascinated by the hills surrounding the Dniepr estuary known as Kherson’s Grand Canyon. In the spring of 2022, almost all residents of Oleksandrivka had to leave their homes.

The first news of residents fleeing Oleksandrivka broke at the beginning of April, as dozens of people had to walk the 40-kilometer distance to Kherson, fearing shelling. Most of Oleksandrivka residents remained in nearby Stanislav. The photo shows the road from Oleksandrivka to Stanislav.

Six-year-old Danilo is showing an ammunition belt from a machine gun. He found it in his yard after his family returned to Oleksandrivka.

After heavy fighting, the Russian military retreated from Oleksandrivka on November 10, having left burnt military equipment and devastated homes behind. The picture shows the interior of a house that Russian soldiers had occupied and looted.

"You deserved it for shelling Donbas for eight years," one of their officers told me after he knelt me down and put a gun to my head,“ says Serhiy, one of the 16 residents who refused to leave the village during the Russian occupation. He couldn't leave a few hundreds pigeons behind, which he has been breeding for many years.

A month and a half after the Russian retreat there is still no electricity or gas in Oleksandrivka. "As soon as we have electricity more people will want to come back," says Natalya Kamenetska, the village major. Ninety of the 2,500 residents who lived here before the war have already returned.

In order to start renovating their destroyed homes, Oleksandrivka residents need a roof above their heads. Village Major Kamenetska dreams of modular homes that could temporarily accommodate construction workers, paramedics and local officials. In this picture volunteers from Lviv are repairing a roof in Oleksandrivka.

In the meantime, most residents of Oleksandrivka have not returned. They come to collect the rest of their belongings, which they will need away from home for now.