Arriving in the Trostyanets shortly after Ukrainian forces announced that the northeastern city near the Russian border had been recaptured after weeks of Russian occupation, the Associated Press on Monday saw a cityscape that has seen some of the worst of the war. The hospital was damaged, its windows jagged with broken windows. The train station had been shot. Residents proceeded cautiously, wary of mines. They passed their bicycles over craters on the road and passed the ruins of houses. It is not yet clear how many civilians have been killed. The Russian tanks were burned, twisted, left behind like soldiers in the forest. One of the soldiers had a red ribbon around his leg. The other had a hand thrown over his head as if asleep in the leaves in the late afternoon. A Ukrainian soldier pushed him with his toe. A red “Z” meant a Russian truck, with its windshield broken, near stacked boxes of ammunition. Hundreds of boxes, including those with artillery shells, were piled up around the city. The curious inhabitants looked inside an open box of shells. It is not clear where the Russian forces went, under what conditions they fled or whether the city will remain free from these in the coming days. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in his overnight speech stressed that the situation remains tense in northeastern Ukraine around Kharkiv, the nearest major city, and other areas. But the presence of Ukrainian forces in Trostanyets is a relief for a country that hopes that some Russian forces, under fierce resistance, will retreat. A senior US defense official has said that Washington believes the Ukrainians have recaptured Trostianets. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss US intelligence estimates, said Russian forces had largely remained in defensive positions near the capital, Kyiv, and were making little progress in other parts of the country. Late last week, with its forces immobilized in parts of the country, Russia seemed to be limiting its military targets, saying its main goal was to gain control of Donbass to the east. In Trostianets, after weeks of occupation and intense fighting, some residents seemed to have lost all sense of normalcy. “Personally, I have not seen much,” said one resident, Vitali Butski. And yet three rockets hit his house. Many buildings beyond the train station have been damaged, he said. Hooked against the icy wind, he and others went out to see what was left behind. Non-explosive ammunition scattered in the square in front of the train station. Tombs and stones were placed in the square as a sign that Russian forces were trying to defend their position. In a shelter below the station, with thick walls and a door, the rooms were full of military uniforms and boots. There were patriotic messages on the walls, including paintings signed by children in Russian reading “Thank you for peace, soldier.” Another room was used as a clinic, with unused drip ready and desks converted into beds, although there was no sign of blood. Packages with Russian portions of food appeared among the wreckage. But residents said the soldiers were still hungry. “In the evenings they came to us, to our houses and to our basements, and they stole our pickles, potatoes, lard and cucumbers,” said a resident who did not give her name. He called the Russians “orcs”, or creatures that look like goblins. Militias from the Donetsk and Luhansk regions were also there, he said. The whole city was occupied. Now, for the residents, there is room to breathe. In the queue for help, they nodded at the passing Ukrainian tanks. “As you can see, there were fights here last month. “Missiles were flying overhead and people were saying they were scared,” Evgeny Kosin told the emergency services. “They were left without food and water. There was a horrible humanitarian situation. “Now that there are no flyovers or bombings in the last three days, it may be improving.”
Follow the AP coverage for the war at
