Published
Article written by
/2021/12/14/61b8b98e077d1_france-2.png)
How far will Vladimir Putin go? The Ukrainian city of Sloviansk, located beyond the separatist regions, fuels all fears. And for good reason: the exact borders of the now independent territories have not yet been drawn.
On the front line in Niu-York (Ukraine), on the morning of Wednesday February 23, the detonations are permanent. Soldiers watch for exploding shells, and wonder if Vladimir Putin will extend his influence beyond the trenches. “The Russians, I believe they will come. But they will not do this work themselves. They will send their allies, the pro-Russian separatists”said a soldier.
Sloviansk on high alert
Sloviansk (Ukraine), 50 kilometers from the front line, is a territory coveted by Vladimir Putin, which he considers to be an integral part of the pro-Russian separatist republics. The city has 100,000 inhabitants. Ukrainian youth are mobilized there. “If the Russians come here to lay down their flags, we will have to leave. They will never allow us to live here again”testifies a young Ukrainian woman.
Already in 2014, the pro-Russians briefly took over the city. The deputy mayor, Yurvi Pidlisnyi, is appalled at the idea of reliving this occupation. “Of course, I’m scared. And the whole city, all the inhabitants like me are scared”, confides the latter. Despite the threat, life goes on in Sloviansk, a city “modern” and “industrial”specifies Maryse Burgot, special correspondent in Sloviansk.