The team arrived with lists of individuals ready to evacuate from Kostiantynivka, a city devastated by Russian attacks. The region suffers from the absence of power, gas, heat, running water, and faces a severe shortage of food and habitable shelter.
Rescuers called out to residents from windows and balconies, urging them to evacuate due to unsafe living conditions. Many of the remaining residents are elderly or disabled. The team assisted a woman in a wheelchair into a waiting van.
Working in Kostiantynivka feels perilous. Evgeny Tkachev, associated with Proliska, a humanitarian group supported by the U.N., described driving into the city as akin to playing Russian roulette. The streets are blocked by rubble and marked with craters, while drones hover overhead.
Before the war, Kostiantynivka was home to approximately 67,000 people. By January, the population dwindled to around 2,000, as it became a focal point of Russian military operations. The Ukrainians are determined to defend this strategic location.
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