Ukraine proved that it was capable of restoring its system in the territories of Donbas and Crimea after its liberation from Russian occupation.
Donbas and Crimea would later become Ukrainian again
Journalists of the publication refer to Ukraine's experience in the reintegration of parts of the territory of the Kharkiv and Kherson regions liberated from the Russian occupation.
The article notes that in the conditions of the continuation of the criminal war unleashed by the Kremlin, Ukraine has proven its ability to adapt to new situations.
So, journalists of the publication have visited the village of New York in the Donetsk region, located a few kilometres from the front line, since 2014.
It's amazing that there are still cafes in New York, two in fact. There are flowerbeds, a small clinic (open every morning) and grocery stores where you can pay with a mobile phone. There is water, at least in the center. Services are held at the Baptist House of Worship. There are simply no children. The authorities ordered them to evacuate, life here is too dangerous for them, the authors of the material emphasize.
German journalists also note that, compared to 2014, Donbas and all of Ukraine have become more Ukrainian.
Although there are still people here who curse the backs of the Ukrainian military, in contrast to them, there are those who treat the soldiers with food for free.
What is known about successful examples of Ukraine's reintegration of territories occupied by the Russian Federation
As the journalists note, a little further is the city of Sloviansk.
Nine years ago, this city was a stronghold of rebels loyal to Moscow. There were many people in Sloviansk who cheered for the Russians. Nine years later, the mood in Sloviansk is different. Like the whole country, Sloviansk has become more Ukrainian. The same people live here, the publication says.
Using the example of Sloviansk, the authors of the publication conclude that Ukraine is quite capable of reintegrating territories occupied by Russia after their liberation, particularly of returning residents who left after the start of hostilities.
After the liberation of the Kharkiv region, the Russian occupation no longer threatened Sloviansk, and many residents who had fled before that returned to the city.
The rise of the Ukrainian language is another conclusion of German journalists who travelled from front-line New York to Kyiv.
This was facilitated by state coercion, social pressure and thousands and thousands of personal decisions. It is the language of identity, the authors of the material note.
They add that on the streets of Kyiv, people began to speak Ukrainian no less than Russian.
What is more telling is that the gradual Ukrainianization of the one-and-a-half million Russian-speaking Kharkiv became noticeable.
Today, many more people in Kharkiv speak Ukrainian than before. To show the enemy that we are a single nation, the mayor of the city Igor Terekhov said.
