International reporting
War in Ukraine: in Lyssytchansk, the police mobilized to distribute humanitarian aid
Audio 02:32
In a hamlet of Lysytchansk, the police participate in the distribution of humanitarian aid.
© RFI/Sébastien Németh
By: Sébastien Németh Follow |
Jad El Khoury
3 mins
In the Donbass, fighting is still raging for control of the great city of Sievierodonetsk.
The region is constantly bombarded.
In Lysytchansk, the police came to bring some humanitarian aid.
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From our special envoys in Lyssytchansk,
Their trunks full of bottles of water, canned goods or even oil, the police officers of Lyssytchansk are welcomed as heroes by the inhabitants of this hamlet living reclusive in their homes.
“
It's terrible to see my fellow citizens living like this, hiding, trying to survive as best they can
,” laments Sergei, deputy district police chief.
“At any moment, a bomb could fall and destroy their house.
This war is horrible.
So we have to take care of these people.
»
► To read also: Ukraine: in Lyssytchansk, the fear of suffering the same fate as Sievierodonetsk
“We hope we will have enough to survive”
These houses are at the end of the Luhansk region, in the last pocket still controlled by Ukraine.
A single road connects to the exterior.
A dust lane surrounded by the Russian army which is constantly bombarding the area.
These few families live in a daily life of bombs, shootings, stress and fear, as Raïssa Maichaleva explains.
We can't go into town.
It's too far and we don't have a car.
We draw water from a small lake near here, when it's not bombarding.
For food, we only have humanitarian aid.
We were able to accumulate a small stock.
During the winter, we also kept preserves.
Finally, we have a small vegetable garden to produce our own vegetables.
We hope we will have enough to survive
.
Several nearby houses were destroyed by shells.
That of Irina Makarenka is still standing, but until when?
However, this 45-year-old Ukrainian still refuses to leave.
“
We are just trying to survive.
If the Russians arrive, we will continue our life here
”, affirms Irina Makarenka, who continues: “
I was born here, this is my country, I will not leave.
I will tell the Russians to leave, to go home.
That's all.
We want to live as we did before the war.
Go to school, work, find wood to light a fire and eat.
Quite simply.
Hoping that peace comes as soon as possible
.
»
► To read also: Ukraine: the inhabitants of Lyssytchansk under pressure with the advance of pro-Russian troops
This grandmother has been holed up in a cellar for days.
Upset, she prays to God to help her.
© RFI/Sébastien Németh
“Without the help of others, I would already be dead”
A person does not have the strength to come and thank the police in person.
This grandmother has been holed up in the basement for days.
Upset, she prays to God to help her.
"
God, help us, help us to rebuild my destroyed house, to receive my retirement money
," she wishes.
“
We have nothing left.
I can't go anywhere because I have no more money.
It's very hard, I have a heart problem and blood pressure.
Without the help of others, I would already be dead
”, says the grandmother.
A few kilometers away, fighting is raging in Sievierodonetsk.
If the Russians take the town and cross the river, they could quickly descend on the hamlet and its surroundings.
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