’It was horror!’: Liberated Ukrainian citizens cry as they describe living under Russian occupation

Newly freed from Russian occupation, residents of Balakliia, Ukraine, in the Kharkiv province, wept as they received humanitarian aid on Tuesday – their city newly reclaimed and liberated by Ukrainian troops after what some described as months of horror. With Ukraine’s flag flying in the city once again, people clamored for supplies, and spoke of all they endured. “The Russians stripped my husband to his underwear. Here, on the street, one had to undress completely. They look at you, turn you around. Look for any scars, tattoos. Whether one served or not. They took people… it was horror here.” One local resident said she wept when she saw Ukrainian armored vehicles drive, victoriously, through the city. “I could not believe my eyes. We knew that it was very hard to take our town – there are bridges all around, you can’t approach it. The Russians had GRAD [missiles] on all sides of town – they were shooting all the time. Many of us still jump up from the sounds of hissing or explosi