Nicolas Tonev (special envoy to Ukraine)
On February 24, 2022, at 6:03 a.m., Vladimir Putin announced the launch of a special operation, in other words a war against his Ukrainian neighbor. Since then, 15 million people have left their homes. For others, it is impossible. In what state is the population left in Ukraine? The special envoy of Europe 1 went to meet the Ukrainians.
One year already of Russian invasion in Ukraine. On February 24, 2022, at 6:03 a.m., Vladimir Putin’s army launched an assault on its neighbor in the east of the country and on the capital kyiv. A year later, the rapid capture of the country in a few days is forgotten. The Russian army, although quantitatively reinforced, is struggling to advance against a Ukrainian army supported by Western efforts. A conflict that has led to the displacement of millions of inhabitants to European countries. But others are still stuck near the front line in Bakhmout.
Under fire, escaping is also a test
A mortar round is much more effective in getting this 75-year-old grandmother out. But this elderly woman wants to take all her animals before evacuating the area. “Over there, a house is burning, the volunteers have to save my cats! There are 9 of them! We also have to save the neighbor’s dogs”, she exclaims at the microphone of Europe 1.
In the little house transformed into a shambles, another granny, 80 years old, is handicapped and almost blind. “The grandmother is crying every day. God help us. The windows are destroyed, everything is destroyed. There is no light, it is cold. We have to get her out of there!” launches a Ukrainian. But the old lady is almost untransportable. “I no longer have the strength for all this. Everything is difficult for me,” she confides. Sometimes the phone goes. Volunteers promise to pick up the grandmother and her animals. But under fire, saving oneself is also a test.