People are living in basements, but say they will stay in Bakhmut until end - Ukrainian volunteer Radysh

Volunteer Rostyslav Radysh told about this in the program "War and Volunteers" on Espreso.

"People are adapting to the conditions in Bakhmut. They do not live in their apartments but in basements. And they are organizing a place where they can cook, store food, relax and even teach their children. In other words, the locals move from comfortable conditions to more extreme ones. This is how locals live from the train station to the private sector. If we're talking about a place on the outskirts of Bakhmut and up to the train station, people go out on the streets and even sell pies. That's what we saw. That is, there is a certain gradation in the life of the local population depending on the area, from the territory where our troops are stationed to the territory where the fighting is going on, where the Russian forces are advancing. Where we are, people can still go out, socialize and exchange things in the market. And in the areas that are closer to the fighting, they are in the basement 24/7," a volunteer claimed.

Rostyslav Radysh stated that there is mutual understanding and mutual assistance among the locals. They help each other.

"For example, if a neighbor's house is destroyed, they invite them to their shelter. They help each other. And when we talked to them about why they continue to stay in the city, the answer was the same: this is our land and home, and we will stay there to the end. Secondly, they are worried that if the Russian forces enter the city, they will start looting and plundering what they have left. So, they would rather help the military and each other, but for the city to survive. In fact, Bakhmut is now being compared to Mariupol. It is a modern Ukrainian fortress," Rostyslav added.

Rostyslav Radysh claimed that there is only one safe road to and from Bakhmut.

Despite this, people continue to return to the city.