“We are all shocked, we did not expect there to be an open war”, testifies a Frenchman from Lviv

“The pressure is mounting, we hear sirens in town despite the distance”explains Cyril Horsiny, a Frenchman who lives in western Ukraine, in Lviv, after the Russian military operation launched overnight by Vladimir Putin. “We are all shocked, even if there has been a latent war for eight years in the Donbass, we did not expect there to be an open war”he added.

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“It’s not the kind of news you expect when you wake up even if in the last few days you were prepared. We had hopes that Vladimir Putin’s murderous spree would not go that far. Unfortunately, we realize that there is no limit.”

It is time to realize, even in the West, that if he takes Ukraine he will not stop there and that it is time to react, otherwise it will be bloodshed.

The Quai d’Orsay advises French nationals to leave. “It’s a bit early. We will think first and foremost about the safety of our children. Faced with pressure from all those close to us, we will think because I would like to remain in solidarity with the Ukrainian people”explained Cyril Horsiny.