Elena is recalling the moment Russian troops started shelling, after she and a group of escapees passed through one of their checkpoints. After two months living in the basement of a kindergarten in the Russian-occupied town of Izyum in Ukraine, Elena spent two nerve-shredding days on the road to safety. She and her daughter were among 20 people in a convoy of vehicles heading away from Russian-controlled territory. They fled last Friday using a route organised by volunteers.

"All that time we were praying," said Elena, 52, recounting how they passed through numerous Russian checkpoints. When troops asked them where they were going, the group convinced the soldiers they were headed for Russia. At one checkpoint, Elena said, Russians looked through her daughter's phone, and became angry when they saw messages to her friends about the situation in Izyum.

…She adds that Russian troops were looting everything, including people's underwear. Soldiers drove around the city in stolen cars with "Z" signs painted on them, she recalled. "They were armed and often very drunk. It was very scary when an armoured personnel carrier was driving on your street and soldiers with machine guns were sitting in it. We tried to hide."

Situated south-east of Kharkiv, the city of Izyum is known as the gateway to the Donbas - Ukraine's old coal and steel-producing region, more than a third of which was seized by Moscow-backed separatists in 2014. It is surrounded by forests and rivers, which make it a natural fortress. And within the city boundaries is the Kremenets mountain, which is 218m (715ft) above sea level. "Whoever has control of this mountain has a significant military advantage," said Maxym Strelnik, an official of Izyum city council. All this made the city an important prize and soon after the Kremlin's invasion, it came under heavy bombardment. On 1 April, Russia seized control and has occupied the city since. Now, Mr Strelnik, who was told by the Ukrainian military to leave the area, estimates that 80% of the city has been destroyed. Between 10,000 and 15,000 civilians remain in Izyum, he believes.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-61354626

Mr. Delgado, 45, who has represented New York’s 19th Congressional District since 2019, has proved he can win hotly contested elections and will help Ms. Hochul diversify her ticket. He identifies as African American and Latino, with family roots in the West African island nation of Cape Verde.

…Mr. Delgado was likely to face a difficult re-election fight this fall. Democrats had tried to add friendly voters to his district when they approved a new congressional map earlier this year, but the state’s highest court struck down the newly drawn district lines last week. Court-drawn lines are likely to make the seat far more competitive.