Russia has now almost destroyed Kurakhove, a small town in the Donetska region of Ukraine, a place where I was born and raised.
I'm now experiencing a variety of new, odd emotions in regards to all this.
Lately the town has been bombarded with missiles, artillery and FPV drones almost every single day. There is no single building which was not yet hit by Russians. And it's so weird to acknowledge the fact that your hometown will never be the same even if Ukraine manages to keep control of it and not let Russians occupy it.
Although I've been living in Kyiv for more than 12 years now and haven't been visiting Kurakhove very much lately, the town still reminds of many great moments in my life and I thought of it very warmly. And I never imagined how much I valued having a place, a town which I can visit anytime to meet my close ones and enjoy being at home. The worst thing to think about these days is I might never get a chance to go there. I still might, but the high chances are I might not.
Two days ago, Russians killed the principal of the school where I studied. She was hit by a guided aerial bomb when she was gathering her belongings to take them with her to a safer city.
Starting today no one is allowed to drive to Kurakhove except evacuation buses and volunteers who are engaged in humanitarian aid. Public transportation stopped working weeks if not months ago.
The world we're shaping and living in is still very fragile. There's a very long journey ahead to make it peaceful and prosperous.
Map here