Residents of Ukraine's Pokrovsk heal their wounds following Russian missile strike

By Anadolu staff

POKROVSK, Ukraine (AA) - Residents of the city of Pokrovsk in eastern Ukraine's Donetsk region are trying to heal their wounds, after a Russian missile strike on the city killed seven people and injured dozens earlier this week.

Many civilian buildings and businesses were damaged due to the missile strike, and residents of the city are in a struggle to return to their normal lives by conducting repairs in their apartments.

"The first missile came and I heard the sound of an explosion. I realized that the missile had hit our relatives. When I looked out the window to the street, I saw smoke. People were shouting. Everyone was in a panic. There was a terrible situation," Tatiana, a resident of Pokrovsk, who did not want to share her surname, told Anadolu in an interview.

Expressing she was busy with household chores during the attack, Tatiana said that she helped the injured when she went out on the street.

"Our soldiers and emergency service personnel were trying to rescue those who were trapped under the rubble at the time. They quickly rescued a man and two women from the 5th floor of the apartment building. I started to get worse, so I went away from the scene. When I got to the park, the second missile came," Tatiana further said.

Tatiana also said that she found her apartment in terrible condition, and that her two neighbors died. "Many people were injured, it's a miracle that I survived," she said.

"If the building is usable, we will continue to stay here. Maybe we will leave here. I don't know what to do. I'm afraid to stay here. We live in hell right now. I can't find the words to explain the situation we are in. It is very wrong to fight with civilians," she added.

Separately, Oleksiy Prima, a representative of the Proliska humanitarian aid organization operating in Ukraine, told Anadolu that they continue their activities at the scene and support those who were harmed in the attack.

Prima said that approximately 100 apartments were damaged as a result of the attack, further saying that they provided the necessary construction materials to Pokrovsk's residents for repairs.

"Our psychologists are working at the scene. We distribute first aid supplies to citizens. These include food supplies, folding beds, sleeping bags. This is not the first attack on Pokrovsk. Apart from the Donetsk region, we also worked in the Dnipropetrovsk region ... We give hope to the people who have been attacked," Prima also said.

* Writing by Burc Eruygur in Istanbul