Kherson is free, but now bombed

Kherson is free but now bombed

Ten days after the liberation of Kherson, the inhabitants suffered the Russian bombardments. After eight months of occupation, the Russian army had to withdraw. But she’s just across the river and seems determined to get revenge.

With our correspondent in Ukraine, Maurine Mercier

Despite the bombs, most residents of Kherson do not want to give in to pressure or fear. Tatiana, in her thirties, wrapped in her white puffer jacket, stands upright like an “i” on the steps. After months of occupation, the director finally finds her school and her colleagues.

So, for Tatiana, nothing will mar this day, not even the increasingly pressing bombardments. With each explosion, the floor of the kindergarten shakes, but Tatiana smiles. She won much more importantly: Freedom » [la liberté, ndlr], she says. While the city had not suffered such bombardments since the spring.

Read also: Ukraine says it has discovered Russian “torture sites” in Kherson

I am happy “, she says. She explains that when the Russians occupied her city, they wanted to force her to teach the Russian curriculum. But she refused to cooperate.

She had to go into hiding for months:

The Russians were looking for me everywhere. I had to hide in town and change places often.

The knocks rattle the windows of the classroom. But not Tatiana, who continues: “ At least today, no one is pressuring us. No one submits to us. »

Like many locals, Tatiana turned a corner with the liberation. When the Russians left Kherson, she decided never to be afraid again.

Read also: A Ukrainian resistance fighter from Kherson confides: “At the moment, you are afraid”

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