in Ukraine, the fatalism of villagers close to the front line

Ukrainians live with war on a daily basis and some end up forgetting the danger. A form of fatalism visible particularly in the east of the country, as with this fisherman who lives in a village six kilometers from the Russian border.

Mykola Alexandrovitch has placed his stool and his old fishing rod in his favorite spot on the riverbank, despite the distant sound of bombing. “We got used to it. It’s every day! A week ago, I was sitting there, and there were eight strikes on the village. Houses were destroyed. I found a huge piece missile in my vegetable garden”he says.

Ukrainians live with war on a daily basis, and some end up forgetting the danger by seeing missiles pass over their heads. A form of fatalism visible particularly in the east of the country, as in this village of Voltchansk, six kilometers from the Russian border.

The collapsed bridge in the river, 100 meters from Mykola, is part of the scenery of Mykola. It was the Ukrainians who blew it up two years ago, to slow down the enemy, when the Russians entered here. The 73-year-old explains that fishing is calming. He draws worms from his little yellow box, impassive despite the shots. These seem to come from Ukraine, and strike Russia. “It is very closesays Mykola. Every time I count. First the shot and six seconds later there is the explosion.”

“We all curse this war”

By waiting for hours on the banks of his river for a bite, Mykola has become almost a specialist. “When it’s the mortar that the Russians send, it whistlesindicates the Ukrainian. If it is a missile, first we hear the launch, then the missile flies. You hear like a plane passing and finally the explosion.”

With his mouth full of gold crowns, the former police officer explains that he could go and live in Kharkiv but that he does not want to leave and abandon what he has in his village. Looking towards the border, he is suddenly moved: “What does this war bring? To us, to them? On both sides there are deadhe said, swallowing a sob. It’s hard to talk about it. We all curse this war. I have my grandson, he is 26 years old. He’s been there for three years already. Where is he now ? I don’t know.”

At his feet, in a plastic bag, three freshly caught roach are still moving around. Are fish afraid of war? “No !” Mykola replies. And him ? “I don’t care. I’ve already lived my life! If I die now, it will be fate. There’s no escaping it. That’s life, as they say!”