Nicolas Tonev (special envoy to Slavutych)
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07:44, February 27, 2023
Last year, the city of Slavutych was completely surrounded by the Russian army. This border town with Belarus, now liberated from the Russian yoke, lives with the fear of seeing the enemy again on the spot. Europe 1 was able to meet its inhabitants.
In March 2022, the region of Slavutych, a city in northern Ukraine twelve kilometers from the border with Belarus, was invaded by the Russians who faced fierce resistance from the city. The Ukrainians on the spot now live with the fear of seeing the enemy return. Escorted by the local authorities, Europe 1 was able to go directly to Slavoutych.
“For now, I’m staying, I won’t leave”
The Dnieper jostles the reeds of these gray waves. The river is wide and massive and serves as the border with Belarus. Vladislav Tiov, local police chief, describes the scene: “There are two kilometers that separate us. Over there, there are the Belarusians for the moment”.
Everything here is misleading. Along the way, a surreal scene: “There is movement, they are fishermen!”. However, the roads and fields are marked by armored tracks and the forest hides the soldiers. Pietro, a Frenchman married and living in Slavoutytch, tries to reassure himself: “The bridge has jumped with Belarus. We are relatively protected. For the moment, I am staying, I will not leave”.
The sun is already weakening over the Dnieper River. What there was to see is seen. The secrets will remain.