Kherson rebuilds after the Kakhovka Dam flood waters recede | Dispatch

Telegraph Foreign Correspondent, Colin Freeman, goes back to Kherson to investigate the water damage after a suspected Russian attack on the Kakhovka Dam in June which flooded the city and the surrounding areas. Gregory Bilienko opened a shrapnel-punctured front gate and gave the Telegraph a tour of the family home he spent 30 years building. The flood ripped part of his roof off, so he has not even had time yet to clear out his home's ruined contents, which stink of mildew. In what used to be his bedroom, a picture of Venice hangs lopsided above the bed. "What can your feelings be after 30 years of building your own home?" he said, as an explosion sounded in the distance. "Of course, I'm worried about the shelling, but I need to finish the roof repairs before the autumn rains come. Then there's the walls, the ceilings, and all the electrics to be done." If Mr Bilienko is prepared to risk the artillery, local officials are not. A commission set up to pay compensation for damaged homes has halted its assessment visits because of the shelling. As a result, Mr Bilienko fears he may lose the 1.2m hryvna (£260,000) payment he was hoping for. "I want to get the house back in order," he said. "But if I repair everything before they come round to assess it, I'll have no proof for them of what the damage was before." Subscribe to The Telegraph with our special offer: just £1 for 3 months. Start your free trial now: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/customer/subscribe/digitalsub/3for1/?WT.mc_id=tmgoff_pvid_conversion-subscription_editorial-iniative_03-22_EGW-13_organic_youtube Get the latest headlines: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/ Telegraph.co.uk and YouTube.com/TelegraphTV are websites of The Telegraph, the UK's best-selling quality daily newspaper providing news and analysis on UK and world events, business, sport, lifestyle and culture.