“We are being shot at day and night” – How life in Nikopol goes on anyway | Europe | DW

On the outskirts of Nikopol, which lies on the northern bank of the Dnipro, almost no vehicles, either civilian or military, can be seen. The lush, fresh green of the trees on either side of the street obscures the view of the war-damaged buildings. About seven kilometers away on the opposite bank of the wide river are the six reactors of the Russian-occupied Zaporizhia nuclear power plant to recognize.

From time to time explosions can be heard from different directions. “That’s where our soldiers and the occupiers shoot,” says 37-year-old Oleksandr from Nikopol. He quickly fills up his car at the gas station and sets off. But he quickly advises not to stay long in Nikopol. “It was more or less quiet this morning. But it only takes a bullet from there 15 to 30 seconds to get here,” he warns.

Again and again the Russian artillery shelled Nikopol from the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant. As a result, since the beginning of Russia’s war of aggression in February 2022 so far killed 44 residents and injured 210. As the youngest by the Russian occupiers Evacuation of the city of Enerhodar, which is located at the nuclear power plant, was announced, there was increased shelling of Nikopol. According to eyewitnesses, mostly residential areas near the river were hit. Before the war, Nikopol had about 100,000 inhabitants. According to the authorities, 40 to 50 percent of them are still in the city today.

What everyday life looks like in times of war

Throughout the day, municipal workers move piles of smashed bricks, broken glass and window frames with tractors and trailers. Technicians are repairing power lines on some streets. “We’re constantly being shot at! Day and night. We’re restoring the supply so that if we win, there’ll be light everywhere!” says a technician named Viktor full of optimism.

According to the authorities, the area affected by destruction is quite large – in the city of Nikopol itself, along the entire bank of the Dnipro. According to Yevhen Yevtushenko, head of the regional military administration on the ground, almost 3,000 houses have been completely or partially destroyed since the Russian invasion began. According to him, the evacuation of civilians from Enerhodar and other occupied districts of the Zaporizhia region announced by the invaders does not mean that the Russian troops withdraw from there or stop firing.

Oleksandr, an employee of the Nikopol ferroalloy plant, was on night shift during the recent shelling. When he got home, he saw that the roof of his house was destroyed, the walls and the car were damaged, and the dog was dead. “Everything here can be destroyed in a second! It’s good that nobody in the family was injured. My wife was able to run into the basement when the first explosions happened and then a mine hit here,” he reports and says he can do everything still don’t get it. Oleksandr is grateful to the municipal services for the quick help, which stretched a special plastic sheet over the house and helped clear debris.

In Nikopol there is water, gas and electricity, public transport works and hospitals are in operation. Shops and markets are open in the city center and in contrast to the empty streets on the outskirts, there are many people around here. In a park, a man gives flowers to a young woman, they kiss and smile. Suddenly, an air alarm sounds, but neither she nor a woman with a little girl respond. When asked why they don’t run away, the woman says there will be no shelling today. “There is a Telegram channel where information from Enerhodar is posted. Today, on the other side, only equipment is moved,” she says.

“Don’t Panic”

Natalia is working on a flower bed opposite the entrance of the company she works for. When asked why she does this during an air raid, she says many of the city’s residents are used to such situations. “I’m calm because I’m thinking of a winning one Counter-offensive by the Ukrainian army believe. What’s more, we all do. We even planted everything in our vegetable gardens. Well, there’s order in the gardens and courtyards!” says the 39-year-old, emphasizing that you shouldn’t panic, even if you’re so close to the front.

69-year-old Viktoria is not that brave. “I’m always very scared. I can’t stand the noise when something comes flying and then explodes,” she openly admits. She shows the forecourt of her apartment building, which has been hit by shells several times, and says that she spends the night with her husband in the basement almost every night because their apartment is on the top floor. “From the upper floors of almost every house you can see the nuclear power plant and also how the shots are being fired there. All of these upper floors are in a direct line of fire,” says the pensioner.

Viktoria says the war changed her a lot. She has lost a lot of weight, has fallen seriously ill several times in the basement and the war is also a great psychological burden. “Before the war, I was a completely different person,” she says through tears. She was of a cheerful nature, helped other people and thought she could grow old happily.

“We are hostages of the situation”

Despite the shelling, Viktoria does not want to leave Nikopol because she wants to live at home and close to her daughter, who in turn does not want to give up her job. The worker at the ferroalloy plant Oleksandr does not want to leave Nikopol either – despite the shelling and the nuclear threat posed by the Russian occupation of the nearby nuclear power plant. He couldn’t imagine living in another region of the country, let alone abroad. “Who needs us anymore, people who are about to retire. And as for the nuclear hazard, there are still people living in the Zone around Chernobyl” said the man.

A few months ago, residents of Nikopol received iodine tablets in case of an accident at the Zaporizhia NPP. In March, the local authorities announced a voluntary evacuation from the city. This recommendation has not yet been withdrawn.

All residents of Nikopol who DW has been able to speak to fear that the shelling by Russian troops could increase significantly against the background of the expected counter-offensive by the Ukrainian armed forces. “I hope that Bakhmut’s fate will not repeat itself here. We are hostages to the situation because the Ukrainian army will not be able to fire in the direction of the nuclear power plant from Nikopol,” says an elderly man named Mykola, who left after the air raid alarm ended stocked up on milk and bread for several days in a shop in the center of Nikopol. “Just in case,” he says.

Adaptation from the Russian: Markian Ostapchuk