He said this on Espreso TV.
"There are about 700 people left in Avdiivka. The situation is not easy, there are constant checks. The euphoria has already passed for most of the people who stayed there and were really waiting for the Russians. Even those people who were indifferent are already saying that it was much better under Ukraine. Because there were no signs of democracy or that "liberators" had come to them. In the first days of the occupation, there were many videos of the invaders coming in and hugging them. Now the situation has changed dramatically, they are being kicked out of their homes. The city is being looted, and the coke plant is being stolen. That is, most people have realized that they were expecting the wrong thing," emphasized Barabash.
According to the head of the Avdiivka City Military Administration, throughout the full-scale war, local authorities, volunteers and police explained to the "waiting people" using the examples of Sievierodonetsk, Mariupol, and Bakhmut that nothing good would happen, but they did not believe them.
"They are currently going through all this on their own. The same people are filmed in propaganda stories, about 20 of them. Even the people who stayed in the city have no respect for these people. By the way, the Russians are giving out humanitarian aid that we have been bringing in," Barabash said.