In the village of Kutuzivka, destroyed by Russian artillery, the elderly persevere without electricity and gas. However, it is not worth undertaking major repairs yet, as the village is fired upon almost every day.
KUTUZIVKA In a dim, damp and musty basement, it’s difficult to move except by crouching. The ceiling is low, and the house’s plumbing crosses at head height.
Above is a Russian-bombed kindergarten, from which long stairs descend to the village’s only civilian shelter.
A war continues on the surface of the earth, and the best way to survive is to stay in the basement day and month after day. Therefore, most residents have moved underground.
There are dozens of sleeping places in the Kutuzivka village shelter. Mostly old people live here, but also mothers and one young boy, 8 years old Timofei Seidov.
Timofei spends time in the corner, where a table and sofa, a chess board and drawing tools have been brought.
– Tanks, Timofei answers briefly. The red star separates the enemy, Russian tanks.
However, Timofei has also drawn a happier picture of how the family is outside in the yard, where the sun is shining and there is no more fighting.
However, on the outskirts of the village of Kutuzivka, tanks are still a reality, and the peaceful everyday life can only be seen in children’s drawings.
Donetsk soldiers helped, unlike the Russians
The occupier captured the village of Kutuzivka in the early days of the war and eventually advanced to the very edge of the suburbs of Kharkov, a city of millions.
The 1,500 inhabitants of Kutuzivka first encountered soldiers from the so-called separatist region of Donetsk who fought alongside Russia.
– They helped and brought food and water, because the pump had been bombed and broken, says the 58-year-old Lyuba in front of his four-story prefabricated house.
During the Soviet Union, it was common for even a small village to partially live in apartment buildings. Now it’s difficult to survive in apartment buildings because you can’t heat your own apartment.
Ljuba boils tea on a wood stove in the yard of an apartment building. The village cats are panting at the feet.
– I cook here almost everything we have. The borscht soup is ready in jars, but I don’t open them when there are no eaters, Ljuba says.
According to Lyuba, after the separatists, Russian soldiers came to the village and accused their ally, the commander of the Donetsk forces, of being a traitor. After the Russians took over the village, there was no more help for the civilians.
When ‘s film crew visited the village at the end of May, according to Ukrainian soldiers, the front was about five kilometers away.
Liberation from the occupiers has not brought freedom to the villagers, however, and the village is constantly under Russian artillery fire. Therefore, most of the inhabitants have fled further away from the front. There are only a few dozen people left.
Ukrainian artillery tempts Russia into counterattacks
Even though the Russian troops have been removed, the presence of our own soldiers is not without problems. When ‘s film crew visited Kutuzivka, Ukrainian artillery was placed near the village, among other things.
The roar of cannons echoes off the walls of apartment buildings, scares the birds into flight – and heralds revenge.
Ukrainian artillery fire tempts Russia to retaliate. After ‘s visit, Russia struck back, and shells are said to have hit the village as well.
Most of the houses have already been bombed beyond repair. The only remaining resident of the stairwell of an apartment building is 56 years old Viktor Dronov. He has promised to also guard the modest property of his neighbors who left for evacuation.
According to Dronov, the period of Russian occupation was nightmarish. Russian soldiers stole both cars and phones from residents, and robbed the village store.
During the occupation, the villagers were only allowed to move outside during daylight hours. Now there is more freedom to move, but because of the threat of grenade attacks, it is not wise.
Dronov’s home is dark and cold. There is no electricity, gas or water – but he has no choice.
– I have nowhere to go. Maybe I need to install a fire pit here, says Dronov.
However, it is no longer worth planning a very strange home renovation.
– This apartment building doesn’t even have a roof anymore, so when water leaks in, it flows here, Dronov says.
Russian soldiers left Z-cars in the yard of the base
The Russian soldiers used the cultural house of the village as their base, which they thoroughly messed up and destroyed.
In the yard there are bright green cars with a big letter Z painted in white.
One ancient truck looks almost intact. Its stage is made of gray boards. The second rear tire is punctured and there is a bullet hole in the driver’s windshield.
Inside, Russian soldiers’ clothes, old helmets and gas masks, as well as soldiers’ moldy snacks are scattered on the floors of the cultural center. The fruit compote has been left unfinished.
The soldiers brought their own bottled water from Russia. There are boxes of ammunition, candies, toothpaste, tobacco, medicines and gauze all over the floor. What is needed on the front now.
Among the equipment is a Ukrainian magazine, which tells about dream summer cottages.
The spokesman for the armed forces accompanying ‘s film crew warns against moving objects, as everything has not yet been examined for mines and traps.
Sawdust has been spread on the floor to soak the pools of blood dry. In the middle of the mess, a dozen or so black-orange ribbons stand out. They have been used to celebrate Russia’s victory over Nazi Germany.
There are no more bodies inside, but one body of a Russian soldier covered in flies is still lying on the grass at the edge of the village. Minesweepers haven’t had time to check it yet.
When Russia strikes, houses shake and residents tremble
In the village of Kutuzivka, the shooting starts without warning. After all, in cities, an air warning is given, which is mostly useless – and people have therefore become numb to it. Russia tortures loved ones especially closely City of Kharkiv (you will switch to another service).
In a village, danger is much more difficult to predict, because artillery strikes are quick and random.
Marfa Ivanivna recalls how Russia bombed his home.
– The whole house shook. I sat in the bathroom on a chair, and held the door closed with a towel. I was shaking, Ivanivna says.
The home fell apart, and Ivanivna moved permanently to a civilian shelter. A week later, he dared to return to see what was left of the home.
– I don’t have a home anymore. There was a hole in the bedroom. I lived on the top fourth floor. My ceiling fell apart, says Ivanivna.
It was no longer possible to live in the middle of the Roju.
– What can be done about it? I’m trying to calm down. I’m alive, and that’s the most important thing, Ivanivna says and starts sobbing.
In the back, caged birds are chirping in the dim civilian shelter, and the dented concrete wall is decorated with painted blue-and-yellow Ukrainian flags.
The villagers have one important wish. The Russian troops should be pushed so far that the Russian cannons would no longer be able to terrorize the village.
– I believe in a better future. As long as the shooting stops and the Russians are kicked out, says Ljuba.