Hi Fleur, yesterday Ukraine was again startled by large-scale rocket attacks. Also in the region where you are now?
‘Yes, yesterday we heard a loud bang. A missile was shot out of the sky above us, Ukrainians from war zones told me. Not long after, the air raid siren also went off. That had not happened in this region for a long time. People didn’t really react to the alarm either: they feel safe here.
‘I am now together with photographer Joris van Gennip in Yamna, a mountain village near the West Ukrainian city of Jaremche, in the Carpathians. This region is home to many refugees from parts of Ukraine that are now uninhabitable.
‘Those people don’t want to leave the country, because they are really refugees abroad. Here you feel much more human: everyone understands you, you are closer to family and friends and you speak the language. The Ukrainians with a lot of money have booked a hotel room for six months. Other people sleep in someone’s house.
‘Yesterday we also visited a ski resort nearby. There are many people who want to recover from the war. Yesterday, for example, we saw soldiers who just came from Kherson and wanted to meet their relatives in a quiet place. All kinds of people were on the ski lift or tobogganing, just to have a little fun.’
What about the basic amenities? Is there still electricity and water?
‘If the electricity goes out here, it’s usually planned. This is called a blackout: to save energy, there is no power for four to five hours every other day. That does have an impact, of course. Some companies are almost out of business. But most residents think it’s doable. They just wait to charge their phone until it’s possible again.
‘If you happen to be charging your phone during a blackout, it can be damaged. Now that people are so dependent on their device, it is very annoying. That is why everyone now buys special plugs that can withstand such a blackout.
Shortly after yesterday’s explosion, the electricity went out, but people are well prepared for that. Then everyone knows what to do. When we returned from the ski resort, our hotel was also without power. We were going to eat in the house next door, but it was empty. The inhabitants look for each other: everyone in the village knows where a generator is located. That’s where the Ukrainians went to sleep. We finally slept in our hotel. I put on my mascara by flashlight this morning.’
In the region where you are now, the temperature drops at night to around freezing point. What about when winter really sets in?
“The Ukrainians know very well that Putin wants to demotivate them by affecting their basic needs. He wants people to leave the country, so that Western Europe is flooded with refugees. At least 20 rockets fell across the country yesterday in large-scale attacks on electricity facilities. About 10 million Ukrainians were without power yesterday.
“Yet you see a great determination among the Ukrainians here. People don’t panic easily anymore. In recent months, everyone has been preparing for a long winter, without gas and with less electricity and water. I hear stories from all sides of people filling their dachas with food and water in case they have to leave the city.
‘If the electricity outage also affects the internet, it will be very annoying. In this war, all information is distributed through mobile phones. Yesterday we were with a family from Nikopol, a city under heavy siege. Those people had come here to catch up on sleep and to walk in nature. Meanwhile, they were in constant contact with their family and friends back home. They found it worst when they couldn’t get in touch. When the internet is down, you don’t know if they’re safe.’