A settlement with no more than 400 inhabitants, Yahidne had been almost razed to the ground by invading Russian forces, Polish state news agency PAP reported.
Survivors have shared stories of people dying of lack of air, of Yahidne having been turned into “the concentration camp of the 21st century.”
The local arts centre, like many other buildings, was almost reduced to rubble.
It is now being restored thanks to a volunteer collective called Repair Together, the PAP news agency reported.
It said volunteers were working to the sound of live music provided by a DJ.
A few days ago, as part of a weekend-long “techno party,” Repair Together tidied up the remains of Yahidne’s arts centre, paving the way for the reconstruction of the building.
The collective brings together like-minded people who visit destroyed villages in the northeastern Chernihiv province to clean up the streets, yards and war-battered houses. They also collect money for the reconstruction effort.
In Yahidne alone, Repair Together plans to rebuild at least 12 houses and repair a further 25 by the time winter arrives.
Their help is all the more vital because most of the villagers are elderly, frail and often lonely people, the PAP news agency reported.
Tuesday was day 153 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
(pm/gs)
Source: PAP