on the border with Belarus, the population does not want to “believe in war”, but “no one will back down”

After a three-hour drive from Kiev, here we are on Lenin Street, in Dobrianka, in the very north of Ukraine, a few meters from Belarus.

>> Emmanuel Macron expected in Ukraine: “It’s important to know that we are not alone”, confide residents of Kiev

Lydia, 73, a resident we meet while fetching water, says she is not afraid of a Russian military intervention: “I don’t believe in this war. Here, you can imagine, with today’s technical and military means. If Putin or President Volodymyr Zelensky decides to send a missile, everything would be destroyed in our country. I can’t believe they will do that.”

As Emmanuel Macron travels to the Ukrainian capital on Tuesday February 8 to defend a strategy of “de-escalation” with Moscow from Ukrainian President Zelensky, all eyes are on the East and South-East of the country. The northern border is somewhat forgotten. At the border post, there are only three guards and a simple fence. However, on the other side, in Belarus, the Russians have already had nearly 30,000 men, according to NATO.

Svetlana Bytsko, 37, president of the urban community of Dobrianka explains to us that this double standard is only an appearance: “As the saying goes, if you want peace, prepare for war. Here, the armed forces are not necessarily visible, but this presence is real and they can be deployed if necessary. But we do not feel safe 100 %.”

“One thing is certain, we locals are ready to defend ourselves at any cost. No one will back down.”

Svetlana Bytsko, President of the Dorbianka Urban Community

at franceinfo

A little later, we meet Vladimir, a 60-year-old pensioner with a bottle of vodka in his hand: “Emmanuel Macron must prevent the Americans from inflaming, provoking conflict, getting involved in all of this. We are Slavs, we have to live together, grow potatoes, wheat together. The best thing is to sit around a glass with a piece of bacon, a salty pickle, and then we are fine, we settle all that.” And Vladimir concludes: “Vodka and peace is another form of diplomacy, that of the people.”