In the north-east of the country, faced with the advance of Russian troops, civilians are mobilizing to help the soldiers on the front.
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Since May 10 and the new offensive by the Russian army in the northeast of Ukraine, the fighting has moved closer to Kharkiv, the country’s second city. kyiv claims that the advance of enemy soldiers has been stopped, which Moscow refutes. The inhabitants of Kharkiv are organizing themselves more than ever to support the soldiers at the front, in particular by sending them equipment to camouflage themselves.
Hanna Koukhanovska lives in the Saltivka district, north of Kharkiv, at 7e floor of a building with windows blown out several times. At 55, this physics researcher works at the university during the day and sews camouflage nets for the army at night. Since the premises of her association were destroyed in a bombing, she has worked from home, in her living room, on a grid fixed to her library. It shows a photo of different types of material: “In certain situations, we absolutely cannot differentiate the net from the rest of the landscape”she assures.
“With this new offensive, the number of requests has increased.”
Anna Koukhanovska, resident of Kharkivat franceinfo
Green, khaki, brown ribbons, depending on the season, a few cuts of scissors. With her network of around ten volunteers, Anna has been able to make a net of 6 by 3 meters per day since 2014. Lately, faced with the advance of Russian troops, she is thinking of increasing the pace to help the soldiers on forehead : “They even take small nets measuring 3 by 3 meters, says the researcher. Before, we sent them by post. But now they come directly to pick them up from us. The nets are ready, packaged, all they have to do is collect them.”
On the walls of his living room, around thirty awards are hung, thanks from all over the country, carefully framed. “I am very proud of this wall, because all of this comes from different brigades, from different units. We even help the navy. We help them to camouflage their equipment. The 92e brigade, that of Kharkiv, other brigades to the west…, Anna lists. After bombings, all these rewards fell to the ground, we had to put them back in place. We have helped so many people!“In a corner of the living room, 12 nets are carefully packaged. In a few days they will be used by Ukrainian soldiers on the front line.