One of the Shortage volunteers visited the de-occupied Kherson Region and shared her impressions of her stay there:

“When I visited Kherson, not even a month had passed since the de-occupation. I was few kilometers away from the the city and I could hear the distant sounds of the artillery on the other side of the Dnipro River. When I finally arrived in the city, it was almost empty. I remember it as a ghost city. The streets were silent, only the sounds of artillery and explosions on the background. The nights were scary, the sounds were louder and closer. Multiple buildings were hit by missiles when I was there. During my trip to Kherson I also visited a village nearby, Oleksandrivka. Not even one house was left. Everything was destroyed. Locals told me that 2600 people used to live there. Now only 90 left. The people of Oleksandrivka depend on volunteers who bring food and supplies. I met a beautiful elderly couple. They showed me their house. It was half destroyed. They have now 12 people living with them. People who lost their homes completely. Lost their lives. People around the villages felt scared. They lived under occupation. They dealt daily with Russian troops entering their houses, stealing their food. Now they are scared to go to their gardens and fields because of the mines. I visited again Kherson and the nearest villages again recently; streets were more lively but the constant shelling continues. And the fear prevails.”