Those living in small houses or apartments who leave the cities of Donbas often have to leave their accommodation, which often means all their savings and many memories. Some are selling but at knockdown prices, houses that have lost half their value because of the war.
In Pokrovsk, on the streets, there are more soldiers than civilians. The front line is thirty kilometers away.
All businesses are affected or closed because of the war, but not real estate agencies. Civilians flee, but the rent burns.
>>On the same topic, listen to the testimonies published in La Matinale:
Antonina, a real estate agent, says, “In the first six months of the war, no one wanted to sell, but today at least half of the people have left Pokrovsk, and many want to sell their houses.” “The few owners who manage to sell their properties have to sell for half their pre-war value,” laments the real estate agent.
Military residence
The rental market is good as active players in the area are looking for accommodation on the spot. As a result, 90% of the rented accommodation is occupied by army personnel.
“They have to sleep somewhere!”, Antonina reasons. In fact, it is not possible for them to sleep in the barracks because they will be targeted.
The presence of soldiers makes these civilian buildings potential targets. “Some residents send the Russians the coordinates of buildings where many Ukrainian soldiers are staying, and the Russian army always attacks where there are a large number of soldiers,” explains the real estate agent.
“Those who do this are not necessarily pro-Russian, but they need money,” says Antonina.
Radio subject: Maureen Mercier
Web adaptation: Julie Marty
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