in the Kursk region, the war strengthens its hold

From our special correspondent in Kursk and Rylsk,

On the square in front of the Kursk station, the capital of the eponymous region, an ambulance with a sign with the number “300” on the windshield. “300” for “cargo 300”, the Russian expression for those wounded on the battlefield. In the streets, RFI saw another passing by displaying the sign “cargo 200”: this time it concerns those killed in combat. What is happening here for those in power, however, officially still has nothing to do with a war, even in the choice of the security reaction to the offensive of the Ukrainian army: the entire region is experiencing since August under the so-called “anti-terrorist” regime, i.e. under the direct responsibility of the FSB – the internal security service –, not that of the army.

The conflict, however, leaves its mark on the entire space. In the streets of Kursk, some windows are beginning to be decorated with fir trees for the end of year celebrations, but above a major axis, one of the garlands in the white, red and blue colors of the national flag flashes with this message “ Kursk for victory “. Sandbags can also sometimes be seen in front of and behind windows, as well as numerous protective shelters for civilians during air attacks, built right next to bus stops. In restaurants and on the streets, khaki uniforms are not uncommon.

On leaving the city, quite quickly, the geolocation encounters regular outages, more or less long depending on the sections of the journey: the jammers are at work. We neither see nor hear anything of the noise of the fighting on the ground several tens of kilometers away, but the sky has become a threat to everyone. In the fields, anti-missile batteries, in the air sometimes helicopters flying at low altitude, and in the middle of roadblocks consolidated by chicanes, static anti-drone devices mounted on a concrete turret.

Ballet of covered military trucks

The road leading to the border is the scene of an incessant ballet of covered military trucks. You have to have a trained eye to spot beets in piles on the side of the road which have just been picked up and are waiting to be transported. The faint sign of a daily life which sometimes tries to regain its rights. However, she remains caught up in the conflict on a daily basis. Every day, local Telegram channels remind us of the risk of strikes and drone attacks. On Friday, in the Ryslk district, a civilian car hit a mine. The driver is in hospital, his passenger, a mother of nine children, died instantly.

It is in this district that the small town of Marino is located, targeted this Wednesday by the first Storm Shadow strike within Russia’s internationally recognized borders. Twelve missiles aimed at a target about which Moscow gave no details, and neither the exact location nor the city are accessible to the press. Is this the start of a campaign to use this type of missile? About twenty kilometers away in Rylsk, the district capital, the head of the local administration appears, unsurprisingly, perfectly calm.

“ Frankly, we don’t even think about that. And anyway, before that we were already constantly under crossfire. The border is not that far from here, about 30 kilometers, and the weapons already used could always easily reach us” explains Andrei Viktorovich Belousov. “ So, of course, we also think of our fellow citizens who are not only further inland, in the Kursk region, but also those who live in Tula and Kaluga, and who can now be targeted by these missiles . Of course, people here are worried. But while I can’t speak for everyone, I would say we didn’t feel much shock. With Oreshnik’s shot, our president made a decisive gesture, he responded as he needed to. We are now waiting to see whether the West or Ukraine itself will in turn react. Meanwhile, here we have noticed no change; no one took their bags to leave “.

The administration advises neither leaving the city nor staying there. It’s up to everyone, summarizes Andrei Viktorovich Belousov, to take their responsibilities. “For my part, I’m doing my best to make sure the district is livable. Banks, post office, grocery stores, pharmacies are open, the heating was turned on in mid-October in all the apartments.

These residents who made the choice to stay or return

According to the authorities, after numerous departures and the shock of August, many people finally chose to return to Rylsk and today half of the inhabitants live there. As so often in Russia, we come across many, including babushkas, with bold expressions: “ everything is going great here, no matter what happens now, we are going to win ». Distrust of Westerners has gone up a notch. An interview attempt may result in a “ Who are you? Where are you from? Show me your papers! Ah, you are from a French media? Well in that case I have nothing to tell you “.

Escalation, crossing the threshold, everyone here has heard these words and knows the tense moment, without being able to grasp whether the intensification of the conflict will be lasting. “I don’t want to comment on the president’s speech, but everything that’s happening is frightening,” says a passerby in a low voice. “It’s very scary because we don’t know what will happen after all this, what will be the reaction of the other side. And then I didn’t imagine that this conflict would last this long. In my mind, it could have been a week at most, not necessarily two or three days as we understood at the time, but certainly not more than a week. And this has been going on for so long now. And we no longer even know what could happen tomorrow, the day after tomorrow, in a month”.

Others avoid the tense microphone, but blurt over their shoulder as they rush past “It’s not okay here at all” and then refuse to say more. In Rylsk, the fear of being spotted as having been critical is particularly palpable. “ I can’t really answer your questions.” Another passer-by also advances, almost whispering. “It’s difficult because I have very mixed feelings. And you’re not from here, so I don’t really know how to explain it to you. But look around you, look at the people, look who left, look who arrived. »

Following his gaze, we see at that moment a particularly large gathering of uniforms. Soldiers, police, volunteers, they are on every street corner. Rylsk is tinged with black uniforms and especially a lot of khakis.