in Ukraine, villages neighboring Avdiivka fear the arrival of Russian forces

Since the fall of Avdiivka last Sunday, residents of neighboring villages have been expecting an imminent Russian invasion.

In Ukraine, in the villages around Avdiivka, residents are certain to be the next target on the Russians’ list since the fall of the town on February 18. The feeling of resignation dominates in the face of a slow and devastating progression of Russian forces.

In Selydove, Louba was the nursery school caretaker. “She was 50 years old, she was still young”, says Yuri. He lives right next to the school, whose building was pulverized by two missiles: “When there was the strike on the school, we ran. In 30 minutes, a group of six to eight people formed and looked for her in the rubble. She was under a concrete slab. This were the rescuers who found his body early in the morning.”

“No one sleeps in town”

That night earlier this month in Selydove, three schools were destroyed in the same night. There is now only one operational. The previous month, it was the college, just opposite the town hall, a perforated building. There was also the hospital, hit twice. “At night, it’s the scariest for us, testifies Dmytro, 22 years old. Every night, at midnight, they start bombing. The day before yesterday, like yesterday, things hit and today we don’t know what will happen. We don’t sleep at night, no one sleeps in town.”

Before the war, there were 35,000 inhabitants, half today: “We are going back to prehistory. Our concern is where to find water. We are not properly supplied with gas or water. There is no heating, everything is cut off. But you See, on the surface, everything is fine. We survive.”

“They must pass through our village”

Selydove isn’t sure what she did to deserve this, other than her geographic location. The town is located a few kilometers from Avdiivka. And one day Selydove will fall. Irina has no doubts. It’s even next on the list: “Sooner or later. It’s a question of time. If we look at the map, they must pass through our village. Their objective is Pokrovsk.”

Next to Irina’s business, an apartment building is gutted. Right opposite, a school. The target was missed this time. In Selydove, everyone knows each other and everyone understands that to aim so precisely, so often, it is because the Russians have informants in the town.