(Lioubechiv) On Sunday, Ukraine sounded the alarm about a possible incursion by Belarusian forces into its territory. Since the beginning of the invasion, the world has witnessed the hesitant waltz of the despot Alexander Lukashenko, a faithful ally of Vladimir Putin. Will he launch his troops into the fray? In northern Ukraine, very close to the border, preparations are being made for the opening of a new front.
Posted at 5:00 a.m.
PHOTO MARTIN TREMBLAY, THE PRESS
In Lioubechiv, the scenario is nightmarish. If the armed forces of Belarus join forces with those of Vladimir Putin to invade Ukraine, the municipality of 5,700 inhabitants risks being one of the first to taste it. Lyoubechiv is located in northwestern Ukraine, 15 kilometers from Belarus. “We are not sure of the security of the border, admits the mayor, Oleh Kyhman. We are on high alert. »
PHOTO MARTIN TREMBLAY, THE PRESS
Every day, warning sirens sound in Lioubechiv. The municipality has set up an air-raid shelter in the cellar of an old monastery demolished by bombs during the Second World War. “Before dictator Alexander Lukashenko came to power in Belarus, our relations were very cordial,” says Olesya Zhylko, a municipal employee. Many Belarusians came to shop here. But since then, everything has stopped. »
PHOTO MARTIN TREMBLAY, THE PRESS
In her sewing workshop, Nadia Polikirchyk has not taken any more orders since the beginning of the Russian invasion in Ukraine. From now on, his small team of seamstresses (in the photo, Tania Bigyn and Sitlana Polikirchyk) are fully dedicated to making military jackets for Ukrainians called to the front. “We have to do something,” said Nadia. We can’t just sit and wait. »
PHOTO MARTIN TREMBLAY, THE PRESS
In anticipation of an assault, the Dr Andreï Guk, director of the Lioubechiv hospital, carried out an extreme load shedding. He canceled all surgeries and appointments. He made room for possible war wounded. And he turned the basement into an air-raid shelter, ready to take patients in an emergency. The Dr Guk fears Belarusian tanks less than bombardments. “Nobody knows what’s in Putin’s head. »
PHOTO MARTIN TREMBLAY, THE PRESS
For now, it’s dead calm. But the Ukrainian Center for Strategic Communications and Information Security warned about ten days ago that Belarusian forces could join Russia and launch an assault on Ukraine. “Nobody knows if it’s true or not,” drops Igor Demykh, a municipal employee (left). In uncertainty, everyone prepares for the worst.
PHOTO MARTIN TREMBLAY, THE PRESS
Clothing, bandages, medicines, hygienic products. Like other towns and villages in Ukraine, the municipality of Lioubechiv stores equipment in anticipation of war. But more is needed to prevent a disaster, fears Olaha Vaschyk, director of the municipality’s military administration. “The international community is being asked to impose a no-fly zone over Ukraine. »
PHOTO MARTIN TREMBLAY, THE PRESS
Road checkpoints, called “block posts”, are ubiquitous on the roads of Ukraine. Some, held by the military, are strategic. Others, like this one, are manned by volunteers seeking to protect their villages. “We are ready to defend this region to the last tree,” says Victor (in a checkered jacket), responsible for this checkpoint established not far from Lyoubechiv and the Belarusian border.