Residents of the Russian border town of Sudzha said they were shocked by its capture by Ukrainian forces, according to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reporter, who interviewed them during a media tour organized by Ukrainian authorities on August 20.Ukraine launched a surprise cross-border attack into Russia in early August and now holds a swath of territory in Russia’s Kursk region.Speaking to RFE/RL, residents said the elderly, women and sick children were left behind in the chaos following Ukraine’s incursion. “The Ukrainians brought us water,” a woman says, according to a translation from RFE/RL. “We had no water for a week. No lights, no water, no gas, nothing.”Another said that she used to visit across the border to go shopping before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. “The bus was cheap. We went there. We talked to each other,” she said.Two men were asked when the war started for them and both said August 5-6 – the date of Ukraine’s incursion. The interviewer asks, “what about what was happening on the border before then, was it war?” To which one man replies, “There was some kind of fighting, conflict.”Ukraine has continued to shore up its control of part of the Kursk region, destroying at least two pontoon bridges constructed by Russian forces between August 17 and 21, after strikes a few days earlier took out two key bridges near the towns of Zvannoe and Glushkovo.Interview Transcript:First interviewee: “They abandoned the elderly, women, sick children, everyone. Why are we here? It’s good that the Ukrainians brought us water. We had no water for a week. No lights, no water, no gas, nothing.”Second interviewee: "Ukraine is right next door. We used to go shopping there all the time. The bus was cheap. They traded at our bazaar. We went there. We talked to each other.Third interviewee: "Last night I finally got a good night’s sleep because there were no explosions. I don’t have a cellar [to shelter in]. I live in an apartment.Fourth interviewee: Q. “When did the war start here?” A. “On August 6.” Q. “What about what was happening on the border before then, was it war?” A. “There was some kind of fighting, conflict. I’m not interested in politics. Since I retired I’m not interested in politics. I like doing crosswords.”Fifth interviewee: “It was August 5-6.” Q. “And before then, you didn’t feel…” A. “Before then they were firing. But the war actually started on August 5-6.” Credit: RFE/RL via Storyful