[앵커]
“My knees are shaking and I can’t breathe”
This is what a Ukrainian resident who experienced the Donbass War in 2014 said while looking at the recent situation.
Many of the Donbas displaced people who left their homes at the time are still living in prefabricated houses like this in other cities eight years later.
I hoped there would be no war, but now, in Donbas, the fighting between the Ukrainian government forces and pro-Russian rebels continues, and a state of emergency is expected to be declared across Ukraine soon.
Correspondent Gwi-soo Kim is covering the border between Poland and Ukraine.
Find out more about the local situation.
Correspondent Kim Gwi-soo! Do you keep hearing about the damage from fighting in the Donbass area?
[기자]
A power plant in Lugansk Oblast, one of the Donbas regions, was damaged by shelling, Ukrainian energy company DITEC said.
No casualties were reported, but at least 10,000 people are said to have been injured as electricity and heating were cut off.
In another district of Donbas, Donetsk Oblast, an explosive was detonated at a radio station, Russian news agency Sputnik reported.
Two government soldiers and one rebel were killed in the recent fighting, and about 20 were wounded, the Ukrainian military said.
Russia’s state news agency also reported that three civilians were killed in the Donetsk region and that more than 96,000 people have been evacuated to Russia so far.
A state of emergency will be declared across Ukraine soon.
[앵커]
Did you get in touch with our Koreans who are fleeing in Ukraine?
Are you traveling safely and what is the local vibe?
[기자]
Lee, a resident of Odessa, southern Ukraine, evacuated to Lviv in the west after driving about 1,000 km by land.
Even the calm Ukrainians have changed since Putin’s announcement yesterday.
[우크라이나 교민 : “푸틴 발표 이후 어느 정도 사태를 심각하게 생각하는 것 같더라고요. 전쟁이 날 수도 있겠다.”]
Most of the Koreans have left, but the residents who live here are hesitant to withdraw.
[이OO씨/리비프/우크라이나 교민 : “떠나는 거 자체는 어렵지 않죠. 아직까지는 교통이 살아 있기 때문에. 떠난 다음에 생활하는게 문제기 때문에.”]
I hoped that the situation would calm down as soon as possible and I would return to my hometown.
[이OO씨/리비프/우크라이나 교민 : “여기다가 모든 것을 남겨 두고 떠나는 사람으로서는 그런 것들이 빨리 해결이 됐으면 좋겠습니다.”]
[앵커]
Are there still some left?
[기자]
As of the 22nd, the number of Koreans residing in Ukraine was identified as 64, excluding government officials.
There was one more person than yesterday, but the number increased as short-term residents reported to the embassy yesterday.
Although it will not be easy to withdraw for a living, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs strongly recommended that the remaining Koreans evacuate promptly for safety as the fighting in the Donbas area is intensifying.
This is Kim Gwi-soo from KBS News at the Medica border checkpoint.
Video editing: Lee Tae-hee / Video shooting: Javier Moya / Data research: Kwon Do-in
