No respite for the Ukrainian villages bordering Russia since the start of the war. The inhabitants, who had friends among their Russian neighbors, have, for the most part, deserted.
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In Ukraine, attacks from the sky continue by drones or missiles. This was the case again, Tuesday January 30, in the large northern city, Kharkiv, only 50 km from the border. These border areas have not seen any respite since the almost 2 years of war.
In the Sumy region, the village of Riasne is one of the last still inhabited. The mayor, Valentina Moroz, 55 years old, the first woman elected at the head of the commune, presents what was the pride of the village. A spacious library, today destroyed by a Russian mortar hit right next to it. Russia is three kilometers away.
“At any moment, we can be targeted”
On the first floor, Valentina Moroz shows us the Russian border. A straight line of camps which are no longer cultivated, a rectilinear setting, groves and Russia: “We went on foot, we just crossed the ditch to see our friends. We went there for birthdays, we had parties there, we came back. We had a normal, quiet life… There, on this side of the border , there is even a village where there is a house in Ukraine and a vegetable garden in Russia.”
Before the occupation the village of Riasné had 504 inhabitants. Today, there are barely more than 200. But Valentina has not only lost citizens, friends who are also Russian, on the other side of the border.
“They told me they didn’t know anything, but I don’t believe them. Because we know where our friends live and it’s in this village that Russia has amassed its troops. Our friends, They obviously saw and understood what was going to happen. We will never forgive them.”
Valentina Morozat franceinfo
The village was occupied for a month. The Russian soldiers left as quickly as they moved in. The advance of the Ukrainian forces caused them to flee in haste, but this border, right next to it, has remained a threat for Valentina Moroz ever since: “Living near the border means always being immersed in fear. It’s not about living day by day but living every minute, every hour. You are already happy to be alive because the strikes happen suddenly. It can happen at night, during the day… At any moment, we can be targeted.”
Valentina refuses to leave her village where she now lives alone. Her husband joined the army. He is mobilized in a border town with Belarus.