“The presence of the Ukrainian soldiers brings us bad luck”

NOTNestled in the meanders of the southern Bug estuary, the city of Mykolaiv holds firm. Despite the bombs and the siege, Ukrainian forces repelled the assaults. Thanks to the fine weather, barges stormed the terraces under the chestnut trees and the willows; the shops have reopened and the four-season merchants are rejoicing even if, because of the war, the market is not yet crowded, many inhabitants having fled. Those who stayed are displaying their optimism as a sign of resistance. Mykolaiv turned to kyiv, but that was not always the case: Russian shells turned the city away from its old sympathies for Moscow. This return to grace of kyiv is fragile and in the suburbs and the countryside most affected by…