Residents of Avdiivka who waited for Russians lost their initial euphoria

Vitalii Barabash, the head of the Avdiivka City Military Administration, said that approximately 700 people remain in Donetsk Oblast, which is held by Russian soldiers. The elation among those waiting for the Russians to arrive has faded after the city was captured.

Source: Barabash on the air of Espresso TV channel

Quote: "Around 700 people stayed in Avdiivka. The situation is not easy; regular checks are ongoing. The excitement of the majority of those who remained and waited for the Russians has long faded. Even those who didn't care admit now that it was far better under Ukraine’s control. Because there is no evidence of democracy or that it was 'liberators' that came to them."

Details: According to Barabash, the actual situation differs from propaganda videos; the Russians pull inhabitants out of their homes, looting occurs, even the coke plant is being looted. "That is, most people realised that they were waiting for the wrong people [to help them – ed.]," Barabash underlined.

Barabash recalled that the government and volunteers told those waiting for the Russians that nothing good would happen after the takeover, citing examples such as Sieverodonetsk, Mariupol, and Bakhmut, but they refused to believe them. "Now they are going through all of this themselves," said the head of the Avdiivka City Military Administration.

Background:

• On 17 February, Oleksandr Syrskyi, then-Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, announced the withdrawal of Ukrainian units from Avdiivka.
• President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reported that Russia's losses in Avdiivka were seven times higher than Ukraine's.
• Only a few days after the Russians occupied and destroyed Avdiivka, they began distributing Russian Federation passports to the population.

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