Ukraine wants to recapture all Russian-occupied coastal areas in the south by September. The people of Kherson who fled the occupation are waiting for the counterattack of the Ukrainian army with mixed feelings of hope and fear.
VINNYTSJA When Russia attacked the city of Vinnytsia in southwestern Ukraine with Kalibr missiles on July 14, an eight-year-old boy was among the victims.
He was one of twelve thousand former residents of Kherson who have found their new home in Vinnytsia.
Herson is currently under Russian occupation. About half of the population has left the city. The Ukrainian authorities urge others who stayed in their homes to leave as soon as possible, as its troops are planning a counterattack on the southern front.
The only support center in Ukraine operates in Vinnytsia, which helps those who left Kherson to survive in their new place of residence. It is run by the secretary of Hersoni council Halyna Luhova.
From headmaster to politician
The energy-efficient school building was built by Finns as part of development aid for the country affected by the occupation of Crimea and the Donbas conflict.
The principal of the school was Halyna Luhova at the time. He received the Finnish delegation and was very optimistic about the school’s future. He himself once graduated from this school, when it operated in the old Soviet building.
In 2020, Luhova, who was active in politics, was elected secretary of Herson city council. But the war changed everything.
At the very beginning of the attack, the Russians occupied Kherson and many officials switched to the Russian camp. Among them was the former mayor of the city Volodymyr Saldowho became the head of the puppet government of the occupiers.
Halyna did not want to cooperate with the occupiers. At first he tried to continue working, but it soon became clear that it was not safe.
– Our house was burned down, they started threatening to kill me, my family was put on the blacklist of minions, Luhova lists.
That’s when the family decided to leave the city. The 100-kilometer journey to Mykolajyvi took 12 hours and passed through six checkpoints. Due to the proximity of the frontline, Mykolajyvissa was not safe either, so Luhova’s family moved to Vinnytsja.
Immigrants face many challenges
In Vinnytsia, Luhova decided to continue civic activism and opened a support and assistance center for Kherson residents in the city.
– When I came here, I realized how many problems there are for those who escaped from Hersonis. They had to be solved somehow.
The Vinnytsia authorities found the facilities for the center, but all other help had to be arranged by themselves. Luhova appealed to the residents of Vinnytsja to give material help, for example clothes or children’s toys.
– It’s hard for people here to find work, that’s why the money is on the card.
Luhova is turned to in many practical matters. The center supports the people of Kherson in their job search, provides legal assistance, advises on pension matters and helps children find places in kindergartens and schools.
– There was such a surprising problem that children do not get school certificates, because they are physically in an occupied area. Since the trip there would be very dangerous at the moment, we also help in obtaining certificates, says Luhova.
The refugee center is an important meeting place for the people of Kherson. Journalist from Kherson Maryna Savchenko visits there often.
He fled Kherson in early June after his journalist colleague was kidnapped.
– People are grateful to Vinnytsia and the people of Vinnytsia for the reception, but they don’t want to plan anything permanent here because they are waiting for the liberation of their city, says Savchenko.
The bridge is an important symbol for the people of Kherson
In recent weeks, Ukraine has bombarded the Antonivsky bridge with HIMARS rocket launcher systems. It is an important passage over the Dnieper river, through which Russian arms and other supplies go to Kherson. As a result of the impact, the bridge was badly damaged, and it is now being repaired.
Both Luhova and Savchenko lived near the bridge before the war. Both of them saw from the window Russian military equipment coming into the city along the bridge.
– The bridge is an important symbol for us, a sign of our strength. Although it is now bombarded by its own army, its pillars remain intact. It doesn’t want to bend, says Savchenko.
Although it is difficult to obtain confirmed information from the Herson region, those who have escaped from there try to follow what is happening in their old homeland and are in contact with relatives and acquaintances there.
– I am worried about the people in the occupied territories. When I hear about an attack, I am first happy if it was carried out by the Ukrainian army, but then I start calling friends and asking if something has happened to them, says Savchenko.
– Those who stayed there are heroes to me. Except, of course, the traitors who have been waiting for the Russian world and who have defected to the occupiers. The others don’t have a choice, they can’t get out of the city, he continues.
I wish for a new year in Hersoniss
According to Halyna Luhova, the situation in Hersonis is tense. Those left there try to stay at home and only go out to buy food. The Russians put pressure on teachers and other professional groups to cooperate.
In early July, the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi gave the order to recapture the occupied coastal areas in the south. Ukraine wants to do it by the end of the summer, because Russia is planning a referendum for September on the possible annexation of these regions.
– The people of Kherson realize that it is not safe to be there during the fighting, but they are also happy to realize that the Ukrainian army is coming soon to liberate them, says Luhova.
However, there is a fear that with the fighting, almost nothing will be left of the city, as was the case in Mariupol before. Still, Luhova hopes to celebrate the New Year in Hersoniss.
– When we support each other, the people of Vinnytsia and the people of Kherson, we can hold on until we win. We believe that we will soon return to our home town and our home region and that everything will be alright.
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