Russia bombed Kyiv again on Monday morning, cutting off water to 80% of residents and electricity to 350,000 homes. An attack that notably paralyzed public transport in the Ukrainian capital. Jérémy lives in the city and testifies for BFMTV about what he saw and his feelings.
After several consecutive Mondays marked by bombings, the intensity of the stoppages does not seem to decline. “I would say that this is the same ampleur malheureusement, it seems that this is when there is a massive frappe, this is seulement un ou deux missiles ou quelques drones, this is vraiment une grosse attack sur les infrastructures”, explain the French.
“It may be the fourth Monday in a row, so I’m not going to say you get used to it because you never really get used to it, but we live with the consequences that it has. For example, I have no more water. Well, it’s just water, but yeah, I haven’t had any more water in an hour,” she adds.
Faced with repeated attacks and cuts, Jérémy stocked up: “I have three 20-liter drums at home, I have food for 15 days and then even candles if necessary. And then sweaters, because it is still starting to get cold and since there is no heating, if you have to wear two sweaters, you’ll just wear two sweaters.”
“My bag is always ready”
To follow the intensity of the attacks, Jérémy can count on social networks. “I follow with Telegram the various information about the missiles that are sent and there I know that in Kyiv it has calmed down. My bag is always ready to go to take refuge in the subway. In these cases, there is always a mental preparation.” that comes naturally,” he explains.
“But me, even during the strike, I saw people playing soccer under my house. That is to say that we are used to it but we are still preparing to go to shelter ourselves, ”says the Frenchman.
Jérémy also communicates with other inhabitants of the city to find out how everyone is handling the strikes: “Some people protect themselves, others are afraid, others are not. It’s a routine, unfortunately.”
“He will not push back the Ukrainian army”
Faced with Vladimir Putin’s willingness to attack energy infrastructure and the water cuts caused by the attacks, the Frenchman puts into perspective the difficulties that these strikes have in his day-to-day life: “If we go, for example, to restaurants or shopping centers , our purchases, as soon as there is an alert, we have to go out, so we will say that it is the impact that it has when we go out, at home, if there is no electricity, I have not been affected by power cuts so far – or water, we adapt” .
“We tell ourselves that there are those who are fighting on the front lines, so if there is no more water and electricity, that is nothing. Do attacks targeting Ukrainian infrastructure push back Ukrainian troops on the front lines? No,” he says again.
He explains that a feeling of resistance animates him and the Kyivians with whom he trades. “We tell ourselves, they can touch us, but that won’t push back the Ukrainian army, so it won’t make Russia win. It’s one way of looking at things, but it’s a way of telling ourselves that Russia is losing the war too.”
“It’s a fighting spirit, at our level, but it shows that the Ukrainian people are willing to suffer this type of strike for victory,” said Jérémy.
Source: BFM TV
