The last village of Zviazok is not on the map according to the border guards.
"Only old people still live here," says Olga Myhailovna Samoylova. She and her husband raise bees, rabbits, and chickens close to the Russian border. The population of Zviazok is less than half of what it was. It used to be easy for us to be together. She says that her soul hurts because she can't see her son. Everything is green in the summer here.
The top of the trenches and watchtower were visible just across the green border fence.
The border guard tells me that before the war started, it was just fields with a small fence. The government has given us more equipment. Since the break up of the Soviet Union and the creation of the independent country of Ukraine, Russia and Ukraine have disagreed about the border. The conflict began in the south of the peninsula of the Crimean Peninsula. According to Western estimates, Russia has 150,000 troops stationed around eastern Ukraine. US President Joe Biden has warned of an armed conflict.
We used to have coffee and tea with our Russian counterparts, but not anymore. The border service in Ukraine is part of the armed forces. They do not have the heavy weapons to resist air attacks. Most of the Ukrainian army is deployed around the Donbas.
There is a long line of trucks waiting for their papers to be processed. This is the only open portal along the 170 miles of the northeast border with Russia. Since 2020, a passport has been required for Ukrainians and Russians. Before that, there were many smaller crossings open for locals on both sides and all it took was a national ID. Bus, cars, and pedestrians are crossing the border. Constantly changing Covid regulations in both countries have made travel more difficult.
The second largest city in Ukraine is Kharkiv, which has a population of 1.5 million. It is 25 miles from the Russian border. The setting for some of the worst battles of the Second World War was at the confluence of three rivers. In the event of a Russian attack, tanks and armored vehicles are all plausible targets for the Ukrainian military-industrial complex.
There is an uneasiness here. There are no long lines at gas stations. Bars and restaurants, businesses large and small, and cultural venues all remain open with a steady flow of foot traffic. With a global crisis and the threat of a Russian invasion looming, some people speak with determination, others with resignation.
Ukroboronprom held a press conference. There were tanks and armored personnel carriers in a display. The director of one of the construction divisions gave journalists rides in an armored personnel carrier. On a short driveway, Yakov accelerated to 50 miles per hour and sang the praises of the vehicle. A new engine! A new transmission! New targeting and communications systems!
In both Iraq and Ukraine, the BTR-4 has been used against the group. The Iraqi ones were sent back with rust and damaged hull. The T-64 tanks were once the best tanks in the USSR, but over 450 have been destroyed or damaged in the on-and-off again Donbas conflict. The plant communications manager stepped in with annoyance when asked if what they were promoting would be adequate against their Russian opponents.
The factory that makes turbine for steam, hydroelectric, and nuclear power stations is across town. The number of workers here has fallen by 40 percent since the fall of Russia as a trading partner. He said that he hoped that nothing would happen and that the perils of economic decline were more important than the military threat. We can be afraid. We can talk. We are looking for new orders. Looking for large orders.
The largest opera and ballet theatre in Ukraine and the second largest in Europe has 800 artists and staff. Antonina Radievska, the ballet's artistic director, had no time for political questions when I arrived. It looks easy but it is very difficult.
The CEO of the theater was willing to discuss the topic at hand. I hope that the world supports me to fight aggression. We will take weapons into our own hands if needed. I was in the air defense corps. My division was in Afghanistan. It is our country. We have street knowledge and will fight to the end.
Anna Bychkova quit the Opera to pursue a solo career, making ends meet now as a web developer. I asked her about the possibility of a Russian invasion and she said she had an emergency bag with money, documents, and warm clothes.
She1-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-6556 It is awful to not know, but it is still better than war. It is frightening. Terrible. She wonders about Ukraine's ability to defend itself, as her brother joined the army during the first wave. The system was rotten from the inside. I do not have confidence in the army. They will fight. I am not sure if they can win.
Bychkova is in rehearsals for a production of popular songs by Ukrainian composers.
Directed by Eugene Zolotukhin, the mission of the production is to showcase Ukraine's classical and folk traditions. Zolotukhin noted that the venue carried a symbolic importance, since the historic Philharmonic building was the site of a Stalinist show trial in 1930 that resulted in the imprisonment of leading Ukrainian intellectuals. Whether or not there is war, "we can let the Russians know that we're a free country with our own culture," Zolotukhin said.Ievgen Iakovenko was just finishing up playing percussion in an improvised jazz jam session and was eager to voice his opinions. The Russians are imperialists. They are in everything. The US invests money in countries they invade. The Russians bring poverty.
For the last three years, we have been building our LGBTQ movement and over 3000 people attend the Kharkiv Pride. We don't see the EU's rules and laws that protect and support human rights on the Russian side. Russia banned same sex marriage in 2020 and has sought to shut down groups that advocate for the rights of the LGBTQ people.
Some people from Luhansk and the eastern provinces are internally displaced. When their homes were destroyed in 2014, Dasha Boicova and Alina Petrenko were just 10 and 12 years old. They are housed in temporary structures that were supposed to be used for three years, but they have been used twice.
When the bombing and shooting started in Luhansk, she was in her family's yard, but she doesn't remember the trip after that. Boicova thinks there is a 50% chance of war. The press and the newspapers keep pushing it, that is not natural, and she is looking forward to a career.
When the war started, Andrei was studying at the University of Donetsk. I was watching The Grand Budapest Hotel when the first bomb went off. My family and most of my friends are still in the Donetsk People's Republic, a region aligned with and largely controlled by Russia. But Kharkiv is great. There is a home in Kharkiv. We don't want to lose the city. It is small but has a lot of potential. The Russians come every week, and there are a lot of people from Donetsk here. I am used to it, maybe other Ukrainians are more worried, but mostly it is cool. We have a dark sense of humor.
Across the street from the History Museum is the Afanasiev State Academic Puppet Theater.
Its halls and stairways are full of plants and bird cages, and its backstage areas are cluttered with ancient furniture and mysterious objects. marionettes and actors wearing masks are some of the techniques used to mount both adult and children's plays. The doll and puppet museum is the only one of its kind in the country. The technicians and designers have their studios on the attic level above the stage and lobby.
For the past 16 years, Oleg Zablodskiy has been the puppet company's mechanic.
A little hard of hearing and showing some of the physical ailments of a lifetime working as a cobbler, carpenter, and construction worker, he said, pointing to his desk filled with tools.
I just want stability, but I am worried about the future of Ukraine. This country has a lot of opportunities. We are near the west and near the east so you could call it a universal country. We are patient. Yet.
He showed a puppet in his hands. A story. The head, eyes, arms, and legs all have to move in a straight line. Even puppets must die.
Anna Chuchmai is reporting.
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