Balakliya, a key town in northeastern Ukraine’s Kharkiv region, was recaptured by Russian forces this week but bears the scars of violent conflict.

The city and the surrounding area have suffered from months of violent clashes. It came back into Ukrainian hands as Kiev’s counter-offensive, which began earlier this month, began to bear fruit.

North of the city lay a motley mix of dozens of civilian vehicles, trucks, and burned-out Russian armored vehicles—some with the invaders’ Z symbol.

A few kilometers away, Ukrainian soldiers were working to tow away armored vehicles and a tank recently abandoned by the Russian military.

Boxes of ammunition left behind by Russian forces were strewn along the highways.

Access to Balakliya, which had a pre-war population of 27,000, became precarious after Russian troops destroyed two bridges before withdrawing on Wednesday, local residents told AFP.

According to Ukrainian media, only around a third of the population – mostly older people – remained in the city during the occupation.

Now Ukrainian soldiers patrolled the main street while some local residents moved around – mostly on foot or by bike.

Although some buildings escaped unscathed, many were either destroyed or damaged.

“We were pleased to meet the Ukrainian forces,” when they arrived on Wednesday, said 59-year-old Olexander Sidorov, an employee at a local electricity company who was struggling to keep supplies going despite the conflict.

At the same time he lamented the extent of the destruction.

Many streets were deserted, but in the main square someone had already raised the Ukrainian flag over the statue of Ukraine’s national poet Taras Chevtchenko.

The Ukrainian Defense Ministry announced on Twitter on Saturday that Balakliya was back in Ukrainian hands.

Iryna Stepanenko, 52, who rode her bike around town for the first time in months, recalled the months of occupation.

“There was a lot of fear, shelling. It was scary. We hid in the basement for three months,” she explained.

They did not expect the Ukrainian troops to return, she admitted.

But she still didn’t feel safe.

“I’m worried that the Russians might come back. I’m concerned that the shelling could start again.”

Andrii Kiktiov, 49, said the Russians killed one of his friends for breaking a curfew during a “very scary” occupation.

“It was forbidden to move around without a passport,” he said.

“All phones have been checked. If they found something yellow or blue in color on your phone, they would put it on the ground and smash it with a rifle butt.”

Alla Plesak, 53, couldn’t hide her delight as she saw Ukraine retake the city. She said she was out preparing food for the troops with a friend.

“Right now the macaroni are waiting to be cooked. And my friend will finish cooking the borscht, a traditional Ukrainian soup.

It was “tears, just tears” when the troops arrived, she added.

Danylo Grygorenko, a 24-year-old volunteer, had brought food and medical supplies to remote residents.

“People are happy that it has arrived, that people are back in their homeland (in Ukraine),” he said. “That there is no more Russian occupation, no more repression, no more cellars, no more FSB (Russia’s Federal Security Service).

“But at the same time, people are traumatized by the occupation.”

And in the distance, people could still hear the steady return of artillery fire.