Between two walls of sandbags, Sanytch points to the fields just behind him. He assures that 155 shells fell in this black land, six kilometers from the Russian lines, at Orikhiv, the last checkpoint accessible before Mariupol from Zaporijia. Russia is still aiming to take over the south of the country, a goal set by President Vladimir Putin. But here the Ukrainian soldiers hold their positions firmly and expect a long war.
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“Saturday, they sent us mines that explode seven meters high. It jumps and it explodes”, says, Sunday, April 24, the one who has been a fighter since 2014. Sanytch has, in fact, first fought in the Donbass. Despite this, an old woman passes through the field in question and bends over. “Potatoes are planted there”explains Sanitch.
“The Russians settled in the trenches there”, points to Dmytro, at his side. He estimates that half the population still lives in the village. “We too have started digging trenches. How long can this last? A year, maybe more? I don’t know, but at least a few months, for sure.” This former coastguard is a volunteer.
Dmytro has been posted at this checkpoint for two months. Despite the announcements of the Russians, he has confidence in the tenacity of his comrades. “Those who weren’t strong enough are gone. Only those who are ready to fight until the end remain.” He believes that the localization of the positions is to the advantage of the Ukrainians.
“We have everything to make the war. For us, everything is fine: we are at home, we can wash. Over there, the Russians are bad. We are at home.”
Dmytro, a Ukrainian volunteer at the Orikhiv checkpointat franceinfo
For now, the shots are coming from the Ukrainian lines. “Lhe city of Zaporizhia prepares to defend itself. The positions of our Ukrainian forces defending our cities and territories remain under our control.”says Ivan Arefyev, spokesman for the military administration of the Zaporizhia region.
In general, the Russian response does not take long, but it takes more to make him waver. “Every day, in the press releases from the defense center, we see how much Russian equipment is destroyed: four or five tanks, armored vehicles, radars, their helicopters…” When asked about negotiations, Ivan shakes his head: negotiating with Russia makes no sense, according to the soldier. Today even less than yesterday.