After the standard checkpoint check, we got on the four-lane road leading to Cherson. Shattered petrol stations and temporary dwellings covered with tarpaulins testify to the fierce fighting that took place here not so long ago. Road workers are now laying new asphalt on a road damaged by tanks and explosions.

 

We pass a group of bomb squads clearing the area around the road from the left. There is a demining machine on the right, which is systematically ploughing the edge of the field. A hundred meters further from the road a tractor is already ploughing... This is also what the liberated parts of Ukraine look like.

 

At the entrance to Cherson we met the local ADRA team, who then led us directly to the warehouse. The town is in a state of emergency and distant detonations can be heard from time to time. Colleagues returning from the field greeted us with smiles, wearing bulletproof vests and helmets. Unfortunately, today was also a busy day, with everything flying through the air and no one knowing where it was coming from. Even the new ADRA warehouse bore signs of shrapnel. However, the mood remains great, as if we have all known each other for years.

 

We are unloading stoves, washing machines, beds, microwave ovens, packages of food and toiletries, clothes and other items from the truck and bus for people whose homes have been destroyed by the water from the Kachovka Dam.

 

We respect the security precautions and take a bus 50 km back to Mykolayiv for the night. The hotel provides adequate protection, while colleagues from Kherson inform that the situation worsens after dark.

 

After a full day of traveling and unloading, we were finally able to relax over a meal. Sirens sounded during dinner on the outdoor terrace. The waitress just shook her head, mumbled something to the effect of „here we go again!“ but continued to serve them. None of the guests were paying attention anymore, so we didn't panic and calmly continued eating. The local people had obviously gotten used to it by now. We hadn't yet.

 

Just over 120,000 people remained in the city, which had a population of over 300,000 before the war. Yet life must go on here.

 

In the morning, when I finally managed to fall asleep, we were suddenly awakened by sirens. We quickly got up, had breakfast and went back to Cherson to help.