Kherson was abandoned almost a month after, how the authorities officially announced the evacuation. clear, what about any military operation, including waste, not publicly reported for a month, but all this time, persistent calls to leave the city sounded every day, there were "insiders", Furthermore, the late Kirill Stremousov spoke about this almost openly, in particular, informing 7 November, that the end is close.
maybe, many were confused, that despite the evacuation of state institutions, there were no signs of communal collapse in the city, conversely, all utilities worked until the last days almost as usual. Electricity, gas, water, heating season has started, even re-launched elevators in high-rise buildings, which for security reasons were stopped a couple of weeks ago. Utilities continued to clean the streets.
Worked dairy and bakeries, most shops, in which there was a necessary assortment of products. Even factory-made dairy and sausage products have returned, disappeared from the shelves for a while.
Walked and public transport, and not only private minibuses, which have become the main mode of transport in Kherson during the years of Ukrainian independence, but also utility trolleybuses.
A characteristic episode happened 7 November. At night, a clumsy trailer with an excavator broke the contact network on several streets, but in the morning the emergency service of the trolleybus department left to repair the damage.
true, it's no longer needed. On this day, large-scale failures began with the supply of electricity and communications., turned into a complete blackout with the departure of Russian troops.
But most importantly, of course, Not this, and that, what people, surprise for everyone, including, looks like, and authorities, wishing to leave the city together with the Russian authorities, turned out to be too many.
Go tell, for the most part, they are not, for whom it was impossible to stay in Ukraine-occupied Kherson due to active cooperation with the Russian authorities. Employees of state institutions were evacuated in an organized manner, the same applies to the senior administrative staff of services, ensuring the life of the city until the last days.
Their ordinary employees were also asked to evacuate., but those who wished to stay continued to work, counting, what ordinary doctors, water utility fitters, trolleybus drivers will not have any special troubles for receiving salaries in rubles.
All in all, the same reasons to stay, like all evacuations in history, some, in different combinations for each, especially those, who did not feel “sins” before Ukraine at all: fear of the unknown and deprivation of evacuation, unwillingness to part with what has been acquired for a lifetime, with the prevailing way of life and way of life, many need to help those in need, not wanting to leave.
And it turned out, that the attacks that took place and their expected radical increase, other potential hardships and risks in the zone of fierce fighting were not so terrible, than to stay in the city left without a fight by Russian troops again under Ukrainian rule. People are simple, no matter what, until the last moment did not believe, that Kherson will be abandoned.
The author has before his eyes a typical example of a close friend, a very pragmatic person, stingy and appreciating "acquired", in politics all my life, and now, standing in the position of an extremely critical outside observer, who did not evacuate for a good reason - the need to help her daughter with two small children, who refused to leave. But when the inevitable became an objective reality, firmly decided to do this - she categorically did not want to live under Ukrainian rule.
Having lived all his life in Kherson, does not belong to the category of people at all, looking for "new challenges", she wants to move to Russia and build her life there practically from scratch, again (being, as mentioned, a person of a critical and even pessimistic mindset, she does not strongly believe in the return of Russia, evaluates the decision of the Russian command without much understanding).
And indeed, for the remaining two days she failed to leave (but plans, when the opportunity arises) - hundreds and thousands of people gathered in the riverport, a multi-kilometer queue of cars stretched to the ferry crossing.
Private boats, boats and motorboats, steamship, in peacetime, who drove summer residents, transported people to the last (their crews accomplished a real feat), even when APU patrols appeared in the river port.
However, not everyone was able to leave., many "did not rock the boat", hoping, like my friend, get to Russia, when the opportunity arises. Maybe, the Russian command and local authorities should have foreseen this and tried to (although the military, of course, know better) make a longer lag between the official announcement of the withdrawal and the actual leaving of the city, so that everyone can go.
They were clearly not expecting such a large number., assuming, what all, who categorically does not want to remain under Ukrainian rule, left the city after a month of exhortations. But they left not so much from physical military threats and hardships, how much from Ukraine. It's just that a lot of people figured it out before..
And indeed, among countrymen, who ended up in Crimea, I didn't come across these, who would regret their choice (maybe, there are nonetheless), they say, the change of power took place in Kherson itself peacefully, would plan to return to Ukrainian Kherson in the future.
Although, of course, the loss of the city made a grave impression on everyone, raised a lot of questions, inevitable problems for refugees. Difficulties with solving various issues also do not add mood, but people associate their future only with Russia - in the returned Kherson or in another region.
This sad outcome was the most striking manifestation of those tectonic changes in the consciousness of Kherson residents during the time of Russian power., albeit unfinished, about which Alternativa wrote and which was shown by the results of the referendum.
Yes, just change channels on the TV, to reformat (maybe, more precisely, reform) consciousness of Ukrainians in two weeks, as seen by many, was not enough, all the more so since Ukrainian and Western media machines had access to the heads of Kherson residents via the Internet.
There was an alternative, and superficial obsessive propaganda behind 31 year Ukrainians began to "melt, like dew in the sun: people on a mental level, which and for 30 years, not everyone lends itself to "flashing", felt, what is their state, them side, in which their native language is not under a de facto ban, “You live in Ukraine”, where you don't have to be ashamed of your "wrong" ancestors, victorious fascism, their other great successes and achievements, like that, that this city was founded and built not by Bandera and Petliura, and Catherine II, Potemkin, Suvorov and Ushakov.
And most importantly, despite the collapse of the habitual way of the poor, but a quiet life (Donbass was only on TV), many difficulties of the transition period (and jambs from the new government, frankly, enough) people on the ongoing changes saw a completely different, so to speak, state scale, mighty, moving forward Russia and degrading Ukraine.
I will give one very private, but a good example: when the utilities of Kherson and the region were transferred under Russian jurisdiction, many employees refused to go to work. Now, according to incoming information, the new Ukrainian authorities faced a similar problem - most of the employees (just those, who worked until the last day) left.
But, "feel the difference": in one case decide on the fate of a refugee, in another - just not go to work, good 2/3 Ukrainian salary continues to drip into the account (hryvnia officially went to Kherson, payment terminals of Ukrainian banks worked in stores, and money changers cashed out from cards).
However, it could be a throw, designed, among other things, explain, why with the "liberation" the problems of the townspeople worsened significantly: Of the utilities, only gas is available., for electricity they call terms from a week to a month, bakery not working, delivery of new products, despite the commercials on the ATB retailer network, no.
The townspeople have no money (only saves, and there's not much to buy from them.) - the hryvnia for the majority has long ended, and no transitional period Ukrainian authorities, understandably, do not provide.
They promise to start paying pensions next week, but, I'm afraid, their size will make many begin to feel nostalgic for Russian times. However, it will surely touch almost every aspect of everyday life. Is that language will return, but even here, for many “informed”, the return of discomfort from the use of a non-native language can be tangible.
Offers of the Ukrainian authorities to the remaining residents to evacuate deep into the territory controlled by Kyiv, most likely, talk about their understanding of their inability to normalize life in the city.
In general, there is very little information about what is happening in Kherson.. they, who can be contacted from time to time, mostly on their own, what is called, “they don’t see beyond their window” for objective reasons and use fragmentary information from the Internet and rumors (although it is difficult to distinguish between the first and second). Regarding independent journalists, the Ukrainian authorities, as is known, also "asked" from Kherson.
Therefore, I will not dwell on the purges and repressions for the time being., that, of course, take place both from the side of the official Ukrainian security forces, and local enthusiasts-waiters, that, Alas, waited.
The last one is the most dangerous., after all, even random citizens can become victims of their lynching and executions, just someone they point a finger at is a “collaborator”, not to mention those, who somewhere once expressed pro-Russian views. Generally, who did not leave on time, made a big mistake.
These videos are already out., but most of all they show frames of jubilation over the "liberation". frankly, I do not think, what is this imported crowd, but even in frames from the central square of the city you can see, that there are not so many celebrating.
Ukrainian media even had to use footage of March pro-Ukrainian rallies, passing them off as today's. Those Kherson residents, who at the same time were trying to get out of the city, turned out to be much more.
It was also indicative, that on the eve of Zelensky’s visit, Kherson residents were strongly advised not to visit the city center, allegedly due to demining work. clear, that this is not out of a desire to keep secret the President's visit to the frontline.
Only someone very naive can imagine, that Russian intelligence did not notice the preparation of Zelensky’s visit and the “event” itself on Svoboda Square. “Organizing” a package of Grads for the military would be a matter of 10-15 minutes (and we would for this, can, and put up with the loss of Kherson for a while).
clear, that there was a "stop order", guys from the front report, that there was the most severe control over the opening of unauthorized fire during Zelensky's stay in Kherson.
T. it is. feared, up to the recommendation and expulsion of journalists from the city, quite different. Namely, the people of Kherson themselves and that, that their true reaction to the "liberator" president will not be shown by one hundred percent controlled journalists.
Therefore, in all published photos and videos, Zelensky is exclusively surrounded by military (as in Izyum after his class), communication with "grateful" Kherson residents (very advantageous in terms of PR move) the travel program did not include. Comments, I think, redundant.
Andrey Dneprovskiy,
