Uman: The location named War

On Friday, Uman was preparing to welcome guests. The two-day tourist and economic forum, Tourism in Ukraine: Present-Day Requirements, was expected to take place there. The participants were planning to discuss how to develop communities amid the war crisis. Interesting locations were expected to be displayed to tour operators and journalists…

But, the Russian missile, which hit a residential building before dawn, smashed all peaceful plans. Just one location became relevant: a Soviet-era apartment block, where one of the two entrances designed for 46 flats had been destroyed completely. At least 23 people, namely four children, died under the rubble. The fate of some residents, including the parents of the dead children, is remaining unknown.

An Ukrinform correspondent was at the scene and reported on the incident.

SOLID FIRE IN THE PLACE OF NEIGHBORING ENTRANCE

At the building, there are fire engines and ambulances with the inscriptions ‘Khrystynivka’, ‘Zvenyhorodka’ [names of local settlements - Ed.]. Rescuers are making attempts to extinguish fire and dismantling the debris of the house.

Sometimes, from the area fenced with barrier tape, the stretchers covered with blankets are carried: another person killed by Russians. The dead victims are placed on the lawn. People are dressed in underwear only – they were sleeping, as the Russian missile came. Doctors examine the bodies, briefly describe their appearance, and close the black bags.

A married couple is standing next to me. The woman wears no jacket and has only a checkered plaid over her shoulders. Their children lived in the epicenter of the explosion, on floor 6. One window remained intact there, in the kitchen. The woman does not stop crying. And prays. Her husband smokes cigarettes.

There are several cars in the yard, completely burnt out. Other cars have no windows. For several hours while I was staying there, no one had approached them.

Oleksandr, a resident of the house, heard some noise around 04:00 a.m. and went out to the balcony.

“Then, the house shuddered, all the furniture in the house jumped up, and in the place of the neighboring entrance I saw a solid fire. Everyone began to run out of the apartments. My neighbors were injured, two girls, – one is a first-grade pupil, and the other is a year older, – and their father. We bandaged his leg, and then he was taken to hospital,” Oleksandr recalls the terrible morning.

In his words, the apartment block was built 32 years ago as a dormitory for workers of the repair base. Later, they were allowed to privatize the housing. Residents have known each other for decades; there are practically no strangers here.

Oksana, a local resident, is standing next to me at the destroyed entrance. She says the air raid sirens rang out around 04:00 a.m.

“We heard two explosions. There are no windows left in three neighboring houses. But, on the other side of the apartment block hit by the missile, windows remained intact,” Oksana told.

The woman works in a supermarket. Her co-workers, a married couple, were living in that entrance. Their fate is remaining unknown.

Another man points at the destroyed window and says it was the apartment of his sister, Halia. The fate of the 66-year-old woman is yet to be discovered.

“We went to the morgue but did not find her among those killed,” the man told.

According to him, Halia was planning to take her grandson and niece to her place for the weekend. The relatives appeared to be lucky, so to speak.

‘I WISH THE RUSSIANS TO DIE’

One more person was lucky too. Aidas, a retired Lithuanian man. His apartment was located on floor 6 but on the opposite side. As he woke up, it was still dark.

“I was just about to get out of bed, and the house shook, glass flew. The blanket saved me. I managed to find trousers in the dark, wanted to take a jacket, but everything was already piled up there. Now I’m wearing someone else’s clothes. The good thing is that my phone was charged, I don’t know how I found it. My wife already called me. The apartment is gone now. When the firefighters arrived and pulled up the ladder, I was the last to be rescued. I kept telling them to take women and children,” Aidas told.

He does not yet know where he is going to stay overnight. Perhaps, he will go to his daughter in the countryside, or some of his numerous friends. Aidas's wife is abroad.

Aidas had been going on business trips for more than 20 years, namely to Russia.

“They seemed to be normal people, we communicated normally. But, as Putin came to power, they became like zombies,” the man noted.

I asked him if he wanted to say something to the Russians.

“Yes, I do. I wish them to die,” Aidas says into the recorder.

PEOPLE ARE PROVIDED WITH FOOD, CLOTHES, MEDICAL AID

I spoke to the Lithuanian man in a large tent, where residents of the affected houses can wait until the local authorities provide them with places for temporary shelter. One can also eat here.

There are several meal stations close to the scene. The first one is in the tent of the Ukrainian State Emergency Service. Here, people are offered water, cookies, coffee and tea. Two more meal stations are set up in Lyceum No. 5, which is situated close to the building. One of tables offers the victims sandwiches, porridge, salads, coffee, tea and soda water.

Rescuers, police officers and municipal workers can have a meal in one of classrooms.

A clothing warehouse is in the school lobby. Two girls are standing there, most likely senior pupils. They mistook my colleague and me for the victims. Later, they say there is enough clothing for those who are in need, as people donated a lot. The only thing missing was children’s clothes, and volunteers purchased some in stores.

There is also a medical room for the victims who have no visible injuries. Mostly, people complain of high blood pressure and headache.

“We give them sedatives, measure the pressure,” the health worker says.

RUSSIA NOT TO BE ABLE TO ACCUSE UKRAINE'S AIR DEFENSE OF ITS CRIME

Some 150 meters away from the school, I see a charred black building, which was also hit by a Russian missile at dawn. It is the repair base. According to firefighters, airsoft fans used to gather there, and the place also offered washing machine repair services. No one stayed there at night and, thus, there were no victims. Only a watchman from the nearby construction site received shrapnel injuries.

I noticed a blonde-haired woman standing next to several washing machines nearby. Obviously, they were saved from the building.

Rescuers say that this time it will be difficult for Russians to accuse Ukraine’s anti-aircraft defense units of their crime. Two missiles hitting the densely populated area at once could not have ‘gone off course’.

In addition, this part of Uman has already been affected by Russian attacks. On the first day of the full-scale war, after the explosion of ammunition, a mine hit a neighboring house and broke the wall.

Currently, the rescue operation at the site of Russia’s missile attack continues. According to the preliminary data, 109 people used to live in the destroyed entrance. Hence, the death toll is likely to rise.

Yurii Stryhun, Cherkasy-Uman