Russian pullback reveals devastation in Ukraine villages

(14 Sep 2022) RESTRICTION SUMMARY: ASSOCIATED PRESS Hrakove, Ukraine - 13 September 2022 1. Destroyed buildings HEADLINE: Russia pull back revels devastation 2. Man and dog standing in front of destroyed building ANNOTATION: There's not much left of the Ukrainian village of Hrakove near Kharkiv. 3. Various Destroyed school ANNOTATION: Its houses and shops lie in ruins, its school is a bombed-out shell. 4. Church reflected in water 5. Church and bell tower ANNOTATION: The church is scarred by rockets and artillery, but the golden dome above its blasted belfry still gleams in the fading autumn light. 6. Man and dog walking and woman sitting on a fence ANNOTATION: Only about 30 people remain of the village's pre-war population of about 1,000. 7. Man walking past feral dogs ANNOTATION: A pack of feral dogs roam the mud-filled streets, and authorities warn of mines and booby-traps in the weeds. 8. Destroyed military vehicles 9. Destroyed building with Z painted on it ANNOTATION: Russian troops occupied this small village southeast of Kharkiv for six months before suddenly abandoning it around Sept. 9 10. Various of local resident Anatolii Klyzhen in destroyed flat ANNOTATION: Anatolii Klyzhen spent 45 days in a basement whilst Russian troops occupied his now trashed apartment.   11. SOUNDBITE (Ukranian) Anatolii Klyzhen, local resident: "They were killing locals, shooting them, you could probably see over there, there were dugouts. Nobody knows yet how many are still buried here, (in the village) so that's how I can tell this, there was nothing good here. Roughly 30 locals remain here, maybe less." 12. Local resident Oleh Lutsai in front of a stove ANNOTATION: 70-year-old Oleh Lutsai also spent the occupation in his apartment's basement. 13. Lutsai in his darkened apartment ANNOTATION: He only ventured outside to plant potatoes despite the incessant shelling. 14. SOUNDBITE (Ukrainian) Oleh Lutsai, local resident: "Of course it was scary, it is scary for everyone when everything is shaking in here, when we hear the whistle we are already prepared, when the shell is whistling and flying." ASSOCIATED PRESS Chkalovske, Ukraine  - 13 September 2022 15. Various of residents receiving food aid ANNOTATION: Aid is now slowly arriving, with food being distributed to the remaining residents. STORYLINE: There's not much left of the Ukrainian village of Hrakove near Kharkiv. Its houses and shops lie in ruins, its school is a bombed-out shell. The church is scarred by rockets and artillery, but the golden dome above its blasted belfry still gleams in the fading autumn light. Only about 30 people remain of the village's pre-war population of about 1,000, said local resident Anatolii Klyzhen, 45, living in basements and shells of buildings. A pack of feral dogs roam the mud-filled streets, and authorities warn of mines and booby-traps in the weeds. Russian troops occupied this small village southeast of Kharkiv for six months before suddenly abandoning it around Sept. 9 as Ukrainian forces advanced in a lightning-swift counteroffensive that swept southward. "They were killing locals, shooting them, you could probably see over there, there were dugouts. Nobody knows yet how many are still buried here," said Anatolii Klyzhen who spent 45 days in a basement in his bombed out building. The detritus of a fleeing army still litters the village: packs of empty Russian army food rations, abandoned crates, a gas mask dangling on a tree, an army jacket trodden into the mud. =========================================================== Clients are reminded: Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...