The piercing screams of children mingled with the barking of traumatised dogs and the shouts of soldiers desperately trying to maintain order, as the 14.07 to Ivano-Frankivsk pulled into Kyiv’s central station.
There was a crowd of thousands on p latform o ne, surging towards the blue carriages and desperate to secure a prized place on a ride west out of the Ukrainian capital. Most people would not be able to board.
“Look at these faces around us, they are exactly the same as in the photographs from the second world war, and it’s just five days. Can you imagine what will happen in a month?” asked Tanya Novgorodskaya, 48, an art historian who arrived at the station with her 15-year-old daughter.
She had bought tickets for six different trains, but soon realised they counted for nothing. Instead, there was a boarding algorithm: first mothers with children, then women, then old people. Others were kept away by the police and soldiers standing guard.
Quickly, the train was crammed full. Families had to make split-second decisions, as mothers and children were allowed to board but grandparents told to wait behind. This was the sixth day of Vladimir Putin’s war on Ukraine, and by now fear had taken over.
In the first days, there was a sense of shock and disbelief. Then came pride and inspiration at the surprisingly resilient Ukrainian response and the unity of society.
But the success at repelling the initial Russian assault comes with a terrifying caveat. With Putin’s p lan A failing, will his p lan B involve turning Kyiv into Aleppo or Grozny?
Denne historien er fra March 02, 2022-utgaven av The Guardian.
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Denne historien er fra March 02, 2022-utgaven av The Guardian.
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