Some Ukrainians refuse to flee war-torn areas

(12 Jul 2022) RESTRICTION SUMMARY: ASSOCIATED PRESS Kramatorsk - 7 July 2022 1. Wide of service members in crater picking up debris HEADLINE: Some Ukrainians refuse to flee war-torn areas 2. Wide of service members working near destroyed car ANNOTATION: As a Russian offensive intensifies in eastern Ukraine, authorities are urging residents to evacuate for other, safer cities in the west of the country. 3. Mid of firefighters spraying water on burned car 4. Close of blood on ground 5. Various of people carrying boxes of aid ANNOTATION: And yet, there are still people who refuse to leave. Many are pensioners living alone, with some saying they don't earn enough to live away from home. ASSOCIATED PRESS Kramatorsk - 6 July 2022 6. Valerii Ilchenko walking to his apartment ANNOTATION: Among them is Valerii Ilchenko, a 70-year-old widower who has no intention of leaving, no matter how close the fighting gets. 7. SOUNDBITE (Russian) Valerii Ilchenko, Kramatorsk resident: "I don't have anywhere to go and don't want to either. What would I do there? Here at least I can sit on the bench, I can watch TV. What should I do there? It makes sense if only I would be able to work." 8. Mid of Ilchenko moving around apartment ANNOTATION: Although he is still somewhat self-sufficient, Ilchenko is nearly immobile. Volunteers make sure he gets deliveries of bread, water and cigarettes. 9. Close of Ilchenko showing photos of his son and grandson 10. Close of young Ilchenko portrait 11. SOUNDBITE (Russian) Valerii Ilchenko, Kramatorsk resident: "Where would I run to when the sirens start? I have no basement, so where? In this building, we all stay right here." ASSOCIATED PRESS Pokrovsk – 6 July 2022 12. Man standing on station in front of evacuation train 13. People in train ANNOTATION: As Russian troops march west, people are leaving towns caught in the crosshairs of war. Hundreds depart daily on a train from Pokrovsk. 14. SOUNDBITE (Russian) Nataliia, Sloviansk resident: "Even my youngest child is afraid of rockets. Our house was shaken when rockets were flying. That's why we decided to leave. There was nothing to do. There is war everywhere. I don't want my children to be killed." 15. Various of Nataliia holding child ANNOTATION: The governor of Donetsk has urged residents to evacuate, saying it would allow the Ukrainian army to better defend towns. ASSOCIATED PRESS Kramatorsk - 7 July 2022 16. Various of Kramatorsk residents waiting ANNOTATION: About 80% of the region had left by Monday. STORYLINE: In the city of Kramatorsk in Ukraine's embattled Donetsk province, Valerii Ilchenko sits under the shade of the trees, working on a crossword puzzle.The 70-year-old widower now has difficulty walking, and this daily ritual in the fresh air gets him through the day. Just last week, the governor of Donetsk province urged the region's remaining residents to move to safer places in western Ukraine. But like many other civilians who have come under fire in the nearly 5-month-old war, Ilchenko has no intention of leaving - no matter how close the fighting gets. "I don't have anywhere to go and don't want to either," he told The Associated Press in an interview in his one-room apartment where he lives alone. "Here at least I can sit on the bench, I can watch TV." Moscow and Kyiv are battling for control of the Donbas, a fertile and industrial region in eastern Ukraine where a conflict with Russia-backed separatists has raged since 2014. Attacks on key cities like Kramatorsk and Sloviansk have increased dramatically, killing and wounding scores of civilians weekly. Clients are reminded: Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   #ukrainecrisis #ucrainewar #war You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...