The deliberate flooding of a small village north of Kyiv, which created a swamp and flooded basements and fields but prevented a Russian attack on the capital, was worth the sacrifice, residents said.
Ukrainian forces opened a dam at the beginning of the war in Demidiv, causing the Irpen River to flood the village and thousands of acres around it.
Since then, the move has been attributed to stopping Russian troops and tanks from breaking through Ukraine’s lines.
“Of course it was good,” said Vladimir Artemchuk, a 60-year-old resident of Demidiv.
“What would happen if they (Russian forces) … managed to cross the small river and then go to Kyiv?”
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