Rostov-on-Don in the south of the country is the closest city to the separatist region. Officially, the region has been placed in a state of emergency to receive women and children evacuated from the region, but in reality the announced influx of tens of thousands of refugees is barely perceptible and public opinion mixed.
Black, blue and red license plates, the colors of the self-proclaimed republic of Donetsk, are common in Rostov. And for good reason, for eight years since the conflict started, the city and its suburbs have been in a way the rear base of the Donbass. It is the place where the inhabitants come to do their shopping and relax and they know it: they will be received with sympathy.
However, here, no patriotic or war fever. “ The Donbass, of course that worries me… But what is really going on there. I don’t know, I don’t have sources of information “says a resident. Another responds: Certainly I’m worried. But I try to avoid people who can convey their worry to me, I don’t need that »
In the alleys of Gorky Park, shaded under the statue of Lenin, we prefer not to envisage a conflict: “ neither Ukraine nor Russia are responsible for this escalation. I read on the BBC that the British Prime Minister says we are planning a big war. But no ! I have relatives who are in the army and nobody sees any preparation… Nothing to do with 2014. Anyway, nobody in this country would support a war, that’s for sure, that’s 100%! »
There are also many residents who wonder about the arrival of evacuees from Donbass: “ what are they running from? What has changed there? “. The messages flow on the web page of the town hall.
►Also read: In Russia, evacuees from Donbass arrive in Rostov, military convoys in the opposite direction