The Ukrainian forces have been destroying some of their infrastructure whenever they see that this might help in better confronting the Russian forces. In this context, they have flooded the village of Demidev, north of Kyiv, whose residents were overjoyed with what happened, as "we saved Kyiv," as one of them says.
In a report from the village, the American New York Times says that on February 25, the second day of the war, the Ukrainian forces deliberately flooded the area where the village of Demidev is located.
The newspaper's correspondent, Andrew Kramer, quotes Ukrainian officials and soldiers as saying that this move was very effective, as it created a sprawling shallow lake that represented a barrier to Russian armor columns, saving the Ukrainian army valuable time to prepare its defenses, and the Ukrainians considered this a major tactical victory.
Although the floods would have been considered a major disaster in normal circumstances, especially in light of the country being exposed to a fierce war, the residents of this village have been praising what happened and seeing that the first and last person responsible for the swamp that their village has turned into is the Russian aggressor.
Commenting on what happened, the newspaper quotes a retired woman named Antonina Kostochenko as saying, "Everyone understands and no one expresses regret even for a moment." Although this elderly woman's living room is now a rotten place with water streaks a foot or so high on the walls, She proudly comments: "We saved Kyiv!"
The reporter adds that what happened in Dmidyev was not an isolated incident. Since the early days of the war, Ukraine has been quick and effective in wreaking havoc on its territory, often by destroying infrastructure, as a means of thwarting a Russian army with superior numbers and weapons.
Kramer attributed to the Minister of Infrastructure of Ukraine, Oleksandr Kobrakov, that so far more than 300 bridges have been destroyed across Ukraine, noting that on the first day of the war Ukrainian forces bombed the runway of a major airport outside Kyiv when the Russians tried to seize it, so the Russians were unable to Receive aircraft carrying their own forces.
According to what the envoy quoted from military experts, the scorched-earth policy played an important role in Ukraine's success in repelling Russian forces in the north and preventing them from seizing the capital, Kyiv.
This tactic, often used across Kyiv last March and in recent days in the fierce fighting in eastern Ukraine, forced the Russians to try to cross rivers away from destroyed bridges, with carefully planning in advance to target these positions by Ukrainian artillery teams. He turned floating bridges into an expensive bloodbath for the Russians.
Although some people in Demidev have complained about the slow cleaning process, which is expected to take weeks or months, many of the villagers have banded together in a joyous community effort to dry their homes.
Even though backyards are still flooded with soda bottles afloat near the houses, Demidev's women cook borsch and invite people to eat, while neighbors cooperate to carry diesel fuel to the pumps in a rubber boat.