In photos, a look at how one Ukrainian town is already rebuilding - NPR

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The devastation on Bucha's Vokzal'na Street in early April, just after the Russian troops left. The photo below shows the cleaned up street on Monday. Dmytro Larin / Ukrainska Pravda hide caption

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The devastation on Bucha's Vokzal'na Street in early April, just after the Russian troops left. The photo below shows the cleaned up street on Monday.

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Here's the same view of Vokzal'na Street on Monday. You can see the red-and-blue sign for the ATB market in both photos on the upper right. Ukrainians in Bucha have removed all the destroyed vehicles and debris from the streets, which are open to normal traffic. Greg Myre / NPR hide caption

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Here's the same view of Vokzal'na Street on Monday. You can see the red-and-blue sign for the ATB market in both photos on the upper right. Ukrainians in Bucha have removed all the destroyed vehicles and debris from the streets, which are open to normal traffic.

Greg Myre / NPR

BUCHA, Ukraine — First there was the battle for Bucha. Now there's the battle to rebuild Bucha.

The photo at the top of this page shows the utter devastation on one of the main roads, Vokzal'na Street, in early April, just days after the Russian forces retreated from their bloody incursion into Bucha, a suburb on the northwest edge of Kyiv.

Ukraine invasion — explained Some war-ravaged parts of Ukraine try to rebuild as fighting rages elsewhere

Now look at the photo just below it. It's the same road, Vokzal'na Street, from the same spot, on Monday. You see the same red and blue sign in the upper right side of both photos, an advertisement for the ATB market, which is 550 meters straight ahead.

And it's not just Vokzal'na street that's been fixed up. An NPR team has visited twice in recent days, spending several hours going around the town, and we didn't see a single damaged or destroyed vehicle on the roads.

All the debris on the streets has also been cleaned up, and whatever damage Russian tanks caused to the asphalt in Bucha is no longer visible.

Here's a satellite view of the same stretch of Vokzal'na Street on March 31.

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Satellite imagery from March 31 shows destruction along Vokzal'na Street in Bucha, 14 miles from downtown Kyiv. Charred remains of tanks and cars are visible along with widespread building damage. Maxar hide caption

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Satellite imagery from March 31 shows destruction along Vokzal'na Street in Bucha, 14 miles from downtown Kyiv. Charred remains of tanks and cars are visible along with widespread building damage.

Maxar

All those military and civilian vehicles have been towed to open fields on the edge of town that have been turned into junkyards, as you can see in the photos below.

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Ukrainians have towed all the destroyed Russian military vehicles to open lots on the edge of Bucha. Greg Myre / NPR hide caption

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Ukrainians have towed all the destroyed Russian military vehicles to open lots on the edge of Bucha.

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Civilian vehicles have also been taken to the lots. Greg Myre / NPR hide caption

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Civilian vehicles have also been taken to the lots.

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Of course, clearing the streets is just one small step in a massive rebuilding effort that will take years. Many homes and huge apartment are burned out shells, or have collapsed completely.

On a rainy day, we met 71-year-old Valentyn Lipatiev, who had returned to his destroyed home on Vokzal'na Street. He was hoping to get his car, parked in a garage behind his collapsed home, running again.

Lipatiev said his family members fled as the Russian forced moved into the town — including a large presence on the narrow street right in front of his house.

"I saw the Russian tanks roll in, and I saw them shooting down this street," he said.

"I saw this war unfold outside my living room window before my very own eyes," he added. "When I realized that I'd be a dead man very soon, I ran into my cellar. When I realized I might not be safe there, I ran across the street."

He stayed in that building, which is larger than his home, for 10 days, with the Russians going up and down the street. Finally he was able to emerge and get a ride out of town. He recently returned.

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Valentyn Lipatiev, 71, visits his destroyed house on Vokzal'na Street. 'I saw the Russian tanks roll in, and I saw them shooting down this street,' he said. 'I saw this war unfold outside my living room window before my very own eyes," he added. 'When I realized that I'd be a dead man very soon, I ran into my cellar. When I realized I might not be safe there, I ran across the street.' Greg Myre / NPR hide caption

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Valentyn Lipatiev, 71, visits his destroyed house on Vokzal'na Street. 'I saw the Russian tanks roll in, and I saw them shooting down this street,' he said. 'I saw this war unfold outside my living room window before my very own eyes," he added. 'When I realized that I'd be a dead man very soon, I ran into my cellar. When I realized I might not be safe there, I ran across the street.'

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As Lipatiev sifted through the debris at his house on this wet day, many of his fellow residents were at Bucha's city hall, which was buzzing, in a well-organized kind of way. Notices on the front door provide residents with numbers to call if they're seeking counseling. There's also a phone list of local morgues for people still trying to locate missing family and friends.

Vadym Yevdokymenko is helping with this grim task.

"Most of the stories are pretty sad," he said. "But at the very least, we find the bodies of people so that the family members don't have to wonder what happened to them. They're able to give them a dignified burial and they're able to say their goodbyes."

Many residents coming to city hall are looking for more permanent places to stay and financial help to rebuild.

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Bucha's City Hall is busy every day with residents seeking housing, help in rebuilding their damaged homes and businesses, and other services. Greg Myre / NPR hide caption

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Bucha's City Hall is busy every day with residents seeking housing, help in rebuilding their damaged homes and businesses, and other services.

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Zhanna Rohovets, 55, said her family apartment was damaged, but can be repaired.

"The city says that sooner or later, everybody will either receive a place to live or some compensation for their homes. But with the war as it is, they're currently unable to do that. And that promise will only come after the war ends," she said.

She's currently staying at home of relatives who went abroad, and she considers herself lucky.

"I think no matter what the situation is, I will not end up on the street, even if that means we'll be living in tight quarters, uncomfortable quarters," she said. "At the very least, we have family that we're able to depend on, and there are most certainly people here in the city who are in a worse situation."

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This prefabricated dorm, on the right of the photo, has been placed in a schoolyard. The school was damaged by the Russians and is closed, but kids are on the surrounding playgrounds throughout the day. Greg Myre / NPR hide caption

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This prefabricated dorm, on the right of the photo, has been placed in a schoolyard. The school was damaged by the Russians and is closed, but kids are on the surrounding playgrounds throughout the day.

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A worker fixes up prefabricated dorms that will soon open to Bucha residents whose homes were destroyed. Poland donated the dorms, which can be constructed in just a few days. Greg Myre / NPR hide caption

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A worker fixes up prefabricated dorms that will soon open to Bucha residents whose homes were destroyed. Poland donated the dorms, which can be constructed in just a few days.

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In the near-term, Bucha is provided pre-fabricated dormitories that have been donated by Poland. Several have already been pieced together in schoolyards and parking lots.

Each unit, which includes communal bathrooms and kitchens, can house up to 90 people. The electricity and plumbing is being hooked up and families are expected to start moving in within days.

Walking around Bucha is a study in contrasts. Look one direction and there's a gutted apartment building that will have to be torn down and rebuilt. Look in the other direction and teenagers are playing soccer and basketball in the park, young parents pushing their kids in strollers, cafes and markets have a steady stream of customers.

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While many parts of the town will take years to rebuild, kids are out playing, families are in the park, cafes and shops have a regular stream of customers. Greg Myre / NPR hide caption

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While many parts of the town will take years to rebuild, kids are out playing, families are in the park, cafes and shops have a regular stream of customers.

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And as it rebuilds, Bucha has a distinctive soundtrack --- pounding hammers, screeching buzzsaws and grinding power drills.

Greg Myre is an NPR national security correspondent. Follow him @gregmyre1.

Julian Hayda is an NPR producer.