So far, the Ukrainian military has not made much progress in its counter-offensive to retake Kherson from the Russians. But as a result of bombardments on strategic bridges, the Russian troops are in danger of getting trapped. For the occupation authorities, the situation is apparently so threatening that they have shelved plans for a referendum on joining Russia.
Shortly after the capture of Kherson, Russian troops faced vociferous protests from the local population, but they quickly put an end to it by force. “The atmosphere has changed dramatically because many pro-Ukrainians have left,” 65-year-old Viktor, a native Russian who has lived in Kherson for decades, told a secure connection. ‘It is mainly older people who have had a hard time getting away and people with nostalgia for the Soviet Union who have stayed behind.’
Yet there is still resistance brewing under the skin against the Russian occupiers and their Ukrainian accomplices. ‘There are regular attacks on collaborators. You can tell they’re scared. They drive through the city at high speed for fear that they too will be blown up. When you walk through the city, you can still see many pro-Ukrainian slogans and the colors of the Ukrainian flag on the walls.’
Hope at the sound of impacts
Those are moments when Viktor and his wife Olga regain hope, just like when they hear the impact of Ukrainian shelling on a Russian military base just outside the city. “I never thought I’d ever say it, but it’s a lovely sound,” says Olga. “When it gets quieter, we get upset. Then we wonder if something is going wrong.’
Due to the exodus of a large part of the pro-Ukrainian population, they have lost many of their friends. “Life has become very lonely, we feel like we’re surrounded by people we can’t trust. You don’t dare say what you think.’
Certainly not on the street, where you regularly encounter a checkpoint of the Rosgvardija, the Russian security forces. “They haphazardly stop passers-by to check their papers and inspect their cell phones. If they don’t like what they see, they’ll take you. You’ll just have to wait and see what happens to you then.’
An acquaintance of theirs got a bag over his head after the security forces found out that he had worked as a mechanic for the Ukrainian army. “They took him to his house, turned the place upside down and interrogated him for hours. We never found out what they did to him. He didn’t want to say anything afterwards, just that they know everything about everyone. They have entire lists of data.’
No more retirement from Kyiv
In preparation for the annexation by Russia, the authorities have already slowly started to introduce the Russian ruble as a means of payment. All branches of Ukrainian banks have been closed, with the result that pensioners have not received a pension from Kyiv for months. Instead, they can now get a small amount in rubles. ‘But I won’t go into that,’ says Viktor, ‘especially since they record all kinds of information about you, apparently in preparation for the referendum’.
A nurse who refused an amount in rubles for her hospital was severely punished. ‘She was visited by Russian guards who confiscated her passport, telephone, payment cards and all sorts of things. They even wanted the title deeds to her house. They’ve been there three or four times. She doesn’t have a penny now, just because she didn’t want to take rubles,” says Olga.
They have started their own protest at home. They are actually Russian speaking, but out of anger at the Russian invasion they have now switched to Ukrainian. Olga has even banned Mikhail Bulgakov, her favorite writer. “They destroyed everything, tore everything apart.”
Perhaps they should have left Kherson earlier, Viktor admits. “But we didn’t expect it to go so fast.” Flights are no longer possible. ‘You can only move around a bit in the area, but even that has become very difficult. You are monitored everywhere,” says Viktor. ‘There are no safe corridors for people who want to get out of the city. If you try it on your own, you don’t know if you’ll make it out alive.’
Every day they hope for the arrival of their liberators, whom they have heard coming closer lately. “Unlike the Russians, they only target military targets, the civilian population is spared.” They can’t wait for Kherson to be freed, but when the time comes, they will run as fast as possible. “If the Russians withdraw from the city, it will be dangerous. Then they will try to level Kherson from a distance.”