The landscape in central Ukraine tells the story of the last two months that have passed over the country since the Russian invasion began in late February.
Damaged roads, houses and factories that were bombed and everywhere roadblocks with alert and troubled soldiers, who examine with understandable suspicion my foreign passport.
Reuters
Near the southern city of Wozniacki, the vehicle stops in front of a large bridge that has been completely blown up.
A small, makeshift bridge allows residents to cross the river.
The surrealistic look of the steel bridge and shredded concrete stands over the green riverbanks and full of hard-to-digest spring flowers.
Volodya, a local elder, says that the bridge was destroyed by Ukrainian army soldiers, in order to prevent Russian army soldiers from crossing the river.
"The Russians came from two directions and got stuck in a large traffic jam near the bridge. It gave our guys time to blow it up," the man says with a proud look.
Volodya next to the bridge destroyed in Wojciech, Photo: Neta Bar
"The Russians of course were furious. They just fired machine guns everywhere. They just fired at the houses. You see, my house is there," he gestures across the river.
"I counted fifty bullet hits around my house. Luckily we were at the shelter that evening. One of the boys in the neighborhood decided to go out against the Russians with a Molotov cocktail. His mother collected what was left of it in a bag. I will never forget it. But after they blew up the bridge and they understood "They are stuck in front of our artillery, their commanders were frightened and they fled here."
Near a bombed-out factory we find Grisha, a guard sitting in a small guard post of a nearby concrete plant.
"The government ordered the evacuation of all the factories from here. There was a welding plant nearby that was used by the army, the government moved all the machines west, to continue production there, they hit an empty structure," the guard says proudly.
When he hears that I am from Israel, he happily hugs me.
"Israel is a good country, very brave. You already support us and I am sure you will increase the help when you see what they are doing to us," he says excitedly.
During the day the Russians intensify the bombing of Ukrainian cities, with the city of Odessa at the center of the attack.
In the sky we can see Russian fighter jets flying at low altitude and trails of cruise missiles.
Eliyahu Rufo, an Israeli volunteer who joins me on the way from the city of Mikuliev to the west, says that his friends from the city of Odessa are constantly calling to check that he is OK.
"So far, Odessa has not been shelled very badly," he says, to the echo of the explosions.
"But in war - everything can change in an instant."
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