The unrest in the Ukrainian city of Izyum did not abate with the withdrawal of Russian troops, in fact some residents now accused each other of snuggling with the occupiers.

Immediately after President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s symbolic visit on Wednesday to mark the liberation of the strategic hub in Ukraine’s lightning-fast counteroffensive, dozens of mostly elderly people gathered in front of the charred town hall.

They weren’t in a party mood.

“They sold Ukraine for a ration (food),” a woman shouted at Svitlana Ficher, a 55-year-old who received Russian aid during the occupation.

Izyum, a mostly Russian-speaking town of about 50,000 people, had been fully occupied since April and had become a key logistics hub for Moscow.

His recapture marked a strategic victory for Kyiv, which has recently enjoyed resounding successes in the northeastern Kharkiv region, leaving Moscow behind.

Zelenskyy made an impromptu appearance on Wednesday as he watched, flanked by soldiers, as the flag of Ukraine was raised over the main square.

But the occupation has left a stain of distrust and guilt on the city on top of war-ravaged buildings, burned military vehicles and the suffering of locals.

Residents also demanded to see the mayor on Wednesday – with some people wanting to know when government aid would arrive and essential services would resume.

Others, like Ficher, complained that they had been left to their own devices – but were in turn accused of snuggling up with the occupiers.

“She wants to be fed by Russia,” yells one man, while other fichers come to the rescue.

About half of Izyum’s residents, including Mayor Valeri Marchenko, fled the country as Moscow’s troops approached.

Some of those who stayed supported Russian rule.

Ficher told AFP she was not a collaborator and was just trying to survive.

“I came to tell the mayor he’s an idiot, he’s a liar. He saved (himself), but he left the people behind,” she said.

“We had no information about the evacuation. I couldn’t go, nobody gave me such an opportunity. And now I’m a traitor because I survived thanks to Russian food.”

Marchenko did not show up.

Back in the square, others were arguing over who was responsible for the city’s massive destruction.

“These quarrels, that’s the problem of democracy. That wouldn’t happen with the Russians,” said a man who did not give his name.

A Ukrainian soldier, speaking on condition of anonymity, said many pro-Russian residents made their way to the Moscow-controlled east even before Ukrainian troops arrived.

They left behind a city that slowly came back to life.

“For the past four days we’ve been ecstatic,” said Taisiya Litovka, a 46-year-old nurse, explaining that she wanted communications restored so she could call her children.

“When the military came. We asked them, ‘When is the curfew?’ They said, ‘What are you talking about? You’re free,'” she said.

It’s been a long time since she’s seen so many people outside, she added.

A little further away, Georgyi Zhykidze, a 60-year-old Georgian married to a woman from Izyum, walked with a Ukrainian flag slung over his shoulders as two tanks thundered by.

“We moved here because we had a war in Georgia, but the war followed us. We have a common enemy in Georgia and in Ukraine: it is Russia.”