Families reunited following Russian retreat in Ukraine
TSENTRALNE, Ukraine (AP) — Relatives embraced in the middle of the road. They squeezed hands and choked back tears. Others sobbed outside their homes. All had yearned for this same moment — to be reunited with their loved ones after Russian troops withdrew from their villages in southern Ukraine.
Families were torn apart when Russia invaded in February, as some fled and others hunkered down. Now many are seeing one another for the first time in months, after Moscow’s latest retreat amid a Ukrainian counteroffensive that has retaken a pocket of territory wedged between the regional capitals of Kherson and Mykolaiv and the Black Sea.
The most significant withdrawal was from the city of Kherson itself, but troops also pulled back from nearby villages in recent days. The Associated Press visited four such villages this week and watched as people were reunited with relatives.
“This is just an explosion,” said Andriy Mazuryk. The 53-year-old left his mother in her village of Tsentralne in April and fled some 30 kilometers (18 miles) away.
https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-families-reunited-603035884445099e5a62b077d23969a0