«The grandson washed his hands with water flowing from the ceiling.» Report from Novohryhorivka

About 350 people lived in Novohryhorivka in the Mykolaiv Oblast before the full-scale invasion, today there are a little more than 150 people living in the village who returned to the houses destroyed by the Russians. For 9 months, the front line passed near the village, every day the Russians targeted the houses of civilians. In the most difficult days, not a single resident remained in Novohryhorivka: some left on their own, some had to be evacuated by the Ukrainian military.

NikVesti visited Novohryhorivka to find out the conditions under which more than a hundred residents of the village live today.

What did the local residents find their houses like when they returned home

«There was almost no one in the village and we asked the soldiers to take us out. One morning they came and said that we have 15 minutes to pack things,» recalls Kateryna Ivanenko.

She and her husband and his mother are among the last residents who left Novohryhorivka. The woman and her mother-in-law evacuated on April 4, the husband left a little later. The family returned to the village on November 17, after 8 months. Almost nothing remained of the house in which the couple lived for 41 years.

«It was terrible here, they screamed and cried, I don't remember exactly how everything was here, even out of fear. When we arrived, everything was broken, the house, the garage, the kitchen, the shed, everything,» the woman recalls.

Kateryna's neighbor Iryna Stahorska lived in her house for 43 years. She and her family left the village a few days earlier on March 31. The woman says that she could no longer stand the shelling and fear. It was possible to return home on November 13.

«As you saw, there are no words, I want to cry. The house was broken, and there were no walls. Everything here was almost burnt, everything was broken. The kitchen is a little old. Barns, chicken coops, everything burned down, we cleaned up garbage for 2-3 months. It was a nightmare, we were climbing over the rubble, we wanted to save something. A rag was pulled out from under the ruins, and then we were happy that it was pulled out,» she says.

At first, they all lived together in the summer kitchen, literally in the open air. Volunteers gave a sledgehammer, firewood and a tarpaulin, which the family used to cover the roof.

«It was like the first days we came here, we ate on the same chair, we did everything on it. There were four of us living in one room, mice were running all over us. We sat and beat only mice with a clapper. You know there were so many mice, we couldn't even open our mouths. There were strong winds, rains, everything was dripping. I remember sitting, and my 6-year-old grandson washes his hands with water flowing from the ceiling,» recalls Iryna.

Halyna Verbytska was the first woman to return to Novohryhorivka after the departure of the Russian army, and one of the last to leave at the beginning of the full-scale war. The woman made such a decision only after she was injured as a result of a Russian attack on the village.

«On March 13, when a shell exploded behind the church in front of me and I was thrown by the blast wave, I injured my shoulder, my son-in-law said that we would leave. We had a defense line here, civilians were not allowed to go here, not a single person remained in the village,» says the woman.

When she returned home in November, she was shocked by what she saw. He says that the village was destroyed by 95%.

«When I got here, I just fell down and cried, it was very painful, my garage burned down, the kitchen burned down, half of the house is gone, there was a missile attack,» she recalls.

Nadiia Andrieieva lived in Novohryhorivka for 55 years. When the full-scale war began, the woman and her husband did not plan to leave the village. During the shelling, the family hid in a shallow pit in the yard. The family decided to evacuate only on April 5.

«We certainly did not expect that everything would take so long, we were sitting because the economy was large. Then I couldn't stand it anymore, they hit us with missiles all night. I told my husband, if we stay alive and our car is intact, we will leave in the morning. They let the whole household out, untied the dogs and ran away,» says the woman.

I managed to get home on September 5, but only for a few hours, the house was already broken into. During the visit, Novohryhorivka was shelled, so the couple was forced to leave the village almost immediately. It was finally possible to return home on November 12.

«We all raked the ruins, lived in two rooms, there was no roof, no windows, we just slept and saw the sky above us,» says Nadiia.

Did local residents manage to rebuild their homes?

The full-scale war forced Iryna Stahorska to learn how to build walls, putty and repair the roof. A woman repairs her house with her own hands. The commission from «eVidnovlennia» awarded the family 500,000 hryvnias in compensation, but only 350,000 hryvnias have been paid out so far.

«We have already restored the kitchen, restored the second kitchen, built a garage. We put up the wall with our own efforts, and putty, and glue, we do everything. We work ourselves, my husband builds everything himself, I also help him. But wherever we go, we have to do it, we want to live in our house,» says the woman.

Kateryna Ivanenko received compensation in the amount of 146 thousand hryvnias. She and her husband are retired, and they cannot repair the house themselves, so the couple had to hire workers. The woman says that the funds have run out, and the repairs are only at the initial stage: the ceiling and walls are collapsing in the house. Today, the family only managed to cover the roof. With their own funds, she and her husband repaired the summer kitchen, where they have been living for a year and a half.

«The village council gave us tarpaulins, and we already hired people, covered the house and the kitchen. Well, it was winter, it was raining, everything was leaking. The roof in my hall is going to collapse soon. We had a commission, we were charged 146 thousand hryvnias. What can be repaired with these funds, what?» says the woman.

Halyna Verbytska also received payments from «eVidnovlennia». The commission awarded the woman 200,000.

«I haven't spent them yet, because there is no one to work for. I tried to negotiate with the people involved in repairs, but they named such an amount that I had to pay half of those 200,000 just for the work. Well, I won't be able to do anything for 100 thousand,» she says.

Despite this, Halyna lives in her house. She arranged a small room for herself, which more or less survived the shelling. Here, the woman has a bedroom, a kitchen, and a living room. Volunteers from Switzerland helped her cover the house.

«The first Swiss foundation came to our village, I met its founder, they promised me to cover the house. To be honest, I have already forgotten what she promised me, but about two months later she calls me and says, we are standing near your house. And they not only covered it for me, they made me one room in the house, in which I currently live,» the woman recalls.

How young people restore the cultural life of the village

Russian munitions destroyed the cultural center in Novohryhorivka. Only the broken walls remained of the building where the villagers used to hold all the holidays and concerts. Next to the cultural center is the local library, which was also damaged by a shell. Fortunately, the library was less damaged, and it is possible to restore the building. Therefore, the youth of Novohryhorivka, 16-17-year-olds, one day decided to independently repair the library building and set up a youth center in it.

«We are in our future youth center, it was a library. My friends and I decided to rebuild this building. There were 5 of us, we cleaned it all ourselves, built the wall, wanted to rest here,» says one of the organizers, Kateryna Melnychenko.

Young people started posting videos about how the damaged library building is being restored, as a result of which they were noticed by volunteers who helped them get a grant of 150,000 hryvnias. With these funds, the young men bought the necessary building materials.

«Two weeks later, we started posting videos from here on social networks, we were noticed by one organization, and they submitted a grant for the reconstruction of our center. And two weeks later, we were the only ones in the Mykolaiv region to win this grant. It was a grant of 150,000. And now our American friends are helping us to arrange the walls inside to make it more comfortable, says Kateryna.

American friends, as Kateryna said, is an American Christian organization that helps residents of Novohryhorivka to rebuild housing. They have been working in the village since June 2023 and have rebuilt about 60 roofs during this time.

«We are very concerned about all the damage caused here and how people are suffering here. That is why we have come to help them rebuild their homes. We made about 60 new roofs in this village. We also do other work, such as cleaning,» said one of the volunteers from the USA, Denis Baer.

Blankets, candles, drawings: how citizens relieve themselves morally

Volunteers come to Novohryhorivka several times a month to conduct various master classes and psychological trainings for the residents of the village.

«Tenth of April» came to us here, I like to walk, sit, talk with people. And yesterday we made motanki. They also made flowers and New Year's decorative candles. Various master classes are also held for children,» says Iryna Stahorska.

Kateryna Ivanenko says that it helps them to relieve themselves psychologically, distract from their problems and invites volunteers to come to them more often. The woman also says that once a month the necessary medicines are brought to them, and from time to time doctors from Mykolaiv come and conduct examinations.

«Every month, a charity fund comes to us and brings us medicine. They come, collect the order from us and deliver it a month later. Doctors come once a month. A car arrives, they connect the equipment, and everything is there, including X-rays and blood pressure,» says the woman.

Lack of drinking water in the village

The main problem complained about by the majority of locals is the lack of drinking water. Today, technical water flows from the taps of residents of Novohryhorivka, which often disappears due to gusts. Volunteers bring drinking water to the village.

«The main problem for the village is drinking water. The chairman concluded a contract with some company, it won the tender, pipes were laid on two of our streets, a new tower was installed, but the water has not yet been connected, this work has not yet been completed. For the two years that I have lived in the village, I don't believe in promises anymore,» says Halyna Verbytska.

Victory Park in honor of the fallen Defenders

In honor of the Ukrainian soldiers who died during the full-scale war, the residents of Novogrigorivka jointly planted the «Victory» park at the entrance to the village. Places were organized in the park where those willing can raise a flag in honor of the fallen soldier, and in the middle of the alley they left a Russian rocket neutralized by pyrotechnics.

The residents of Novohryhorivka dream that the village will be rebuilt after all. Residents of Novohryhorivka do not want to leave the village and are trying with all their might to restore their housing.

«I dream that the war will end, I am talking like this, I want to scream, I don't even have words that we were attacked like this. To end the war, to restore our village. Our village was so beautiful, clean, you see, even now, everything is broken, and the flowers are blooming,» said Iryna Stahorska about her dream.

This publication is supported by the Fund «Partnership for the Sustainability of Ukraine», which is funded by the governments of Great Britain, Canada, the Netherlands, the United States of America, Finland, Switzerland and Sweden. The content of this publication is the sole responsibility of online media NikVesti and does not necessarily reflect the position of the Fund and/or its financial partners.

See also the reports of NikVesti:

«Posad-Pokrovske: a village that survived the shelling»

«Five rockets destroyed the school. Report from Bereznehuvate»

A volunteer «fire brigade» was created to save the village. Report from Kotliareve»