Key Points
MALA KOMYSHUVAKHA, UkraineYuriy Tretiakov, the mayor of this formerly occupied village, clambered into the ruins of the village hall one recent morning in search of a critical document: an old ledger of electricity payments..
Without electricity, the village will die," said Tretiakov, 60 years old..
It was the Journals second time in the area after a September 2022 visit showed the immediate damage of the occupation, the combined efforts of Ukrainian soldiers and civilians to push the Russians out, and the price of that victory..
Before the invasion, villagers had helped renovate the parish house next door, and the priest did his best to look out for them when the Russians came, delivering black rye bread baked at a monastery in Izyum..
Russian soldiers were shocked at the village houses amenities, including running water, piped gas and indoor toilets, the Mishchenkos recalled..
