TRANSCRIPT:
The Inside Story: Russia – Ukraine Year 2
Episode 81 – March 2, 2023
Show Open:
Unidentified Narrator:
Another day of bombing ---
Another year of Russia’s war on Ukraine.
Aliona, Kyiv Resident:
With each shelling, we only become stronger, we adapted, we survive every day.
Unidentified Narrator:
Ukraine’s resistance …
Its resilience …
And its refuge …
Now, The Inside Story --- Russia/Ukraine, Year Two
The Inside Story:
CAROLYN PRESUTTI, VOA Senior Washington Correspondent:
Hi. I’m Carolyn Presutti, VOA Senior Washington Correspondent at VOA’s rooftop studio. Marking one year of Russia’s war on Ukraine is in itself remarkable.
Most analysts and experts expected Moscow’s military to march into Kyiv relatively quickly.
Ukraine’s tenacity is now being fortified with weapon systems from the United States and NATO.
There are questions about the depth of the political will to keep spending billions of dollars to supply Ukraine. But there is no doubt about the will of Ukrainians to fight and defeat the Russians.
Ahead you will see their resolve, how they are surviving day-by-day, and discover the ripple effects the war is having around the world. We’ll start close to one of the war’s front lines,
the city of Kupiansk in northeastern Ukraine.
Russian forces occupied it from the war’s start until it was liberated in early September.
But Russia wants it back and has bombed the key railroad town daily since its latest offensive began in late January. Yan Boechat shows us the struggle for those who left the town.
YAN BOECHAT, Reporting for VOA:
After months of enduring Russia’s year-old war in Ukraine, a woman by the name of Nina says she has given up.
Nina, Kupiansk Resident:
We simply didn't expect anything like this.
YAN BOECHAT:
"We didn't expect this from Putin," she says, referring to Russian President Vladimir Putin, whose forces invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022.
For the past weeks, the bombing has been too constant, too hard, too close.
Ivan Nasonov, Kupiansk Civil Defense:
Vitali, are you? This person wants to be evacuated. Can you write down the details? She can't use her phone; I'm passing the phone.
Nina, Kupiansk Resident:
Can I go on Monday?
YAN BOECHAT:
One week before this war entered its second year, Nina decided to leave the life she had built here since 1993, when she came from a small village on the Romanian border.
Nina, Kupiansk Resident:
The bombings never stop; I'm still alive because a power plant was close to us, which protected us. But now I don't know anymore. It's time to go.
YAN BOECHAT:
The Russians have been bombing Kupiansk daily for the past month, sometimes, all day long. Destruction is everywhere and many here believe the city may be doomed to a fate like Bakhmut, where Russians and Ukrainians have been fighting street by street, house by house, for months.
Kupiansk is a strategic city. It is an important railway hub connecting the entire northeast of Ukraine with Russia. But bombs are only part of the problem here.
Ivan Nasonov, Kupiansk Civil Defense:
The local citizens are on the edge of a humanitarian catastrophe, have lost their jobs, and have no means to live anymore.
YAN BOECHAT:
Ivan Nasonov oversees civil defense in Kupiansk. He says promises of help from the United Nations and other Western organizations have yet to arrive.
Ivan Nasonov, Kupiansk Civil Defense:
Things are becoming worse; we need the help from our Western partners to hold.
YAN BOECHAT:
Local humanitarian aid organizations have tried to offer some relief to Kupiansk's 16,000 residents. In this kitchen, 6,000 meals are served every day. For many, this is the only food they get.
Andryii David, Operates Food Kitchen:
The problem here is not access to food. The problem here is money. People have lost their jobs.
YAN BOECHAT:
Without money, there is simply no easy way out. Many are forced to stay.
Larissa Polyakova and her father, Ivan Zaika, have lived in a basement for three months.
Larissa Polyakova, Kupiansk Resident:
There are no jobs; I'm living with the money my dad makes as a pensioner.
YAN BOECHAT:
Larissa once worked in a small clothing factory. But like most businesses around here, the factory closed.
Her father is almost blind following a stroke and can barely sleep with the constant sound of artillery.
Ivan Zaika, Kupiansk Resident:
To go on living like this, I'd rather be dead.
YAN BOECHAT:
Yan Boechat, for VOA News, Kupiansk, Ukraine.
CAROLYN PRESUTTI:
U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen visited Kyiv earlier in the week, echoing American support
for Ukraine for “as long as it takes.” Estimates to rebuild Ukraine run from 350-billion to a trillion dollars. Amid the devastating attacks by Russia, Ukrainians are determined to see better days.
From Kyiv, VOA Eastern Europe bureau chief Myroslava Gongadze gives us a glimpse of
Ukraine's persistent resistance.
MYROSLAVA GONGADZE, VOA Eastern Europe Bureau Chief:
Russia’s full-scale war has taken an enormous toll on Ukraine, its infrastructure and on the Ukrainian people.
The National Democratic Institute says 37 percent of Ukrainians who took part in a study said they had lost a friend or family member since the war began a year ago.
Still, Ukrainians remain hopeful about the future, says institute director, Marcin Walecki.
Marcin Walecki, National Democratic Institute Director:
Against this background of terrible difficulties, Ukrainians remain very optimistic. There is a strong level of support for the leadership, and there is hope that with an international support, this war would be over soon.
MYROSLAVA GONGADZE:
Walecki says Russia has used disinformation to try to divide Ukrainians and convince them the West is not committed to their country.
But Walecki says this strategy has backfired.
Marcin Walecki, National Democratic Institute Director:
92% of Ukrainians would like to see Ukraine being a member of the European Union, 87% would like Ukraine to join NATO. And this is a very solid support which we’ve seen over the last year. It’s amazing to see how pro-European pro-Nato Ukrainians are. I’ve never seen anything like this in my history.
MYROSLAVA GONGADZE:
Ukrainian political analyst Mykola Davydluk agrees.
Mykola Davydluk, Political Analyst:
Russian invasion made NATO and EU fantastically popular in Ukraine, and the people understood that our unique way is only into the West. And we are moving in that direction very fast.
MYROSLAVA GONGADZE:
Meanwhile, ordinary Ukrainians say they are strong and resilient after a year of war and sustained missile attacks by Russia.
Anton, Kyiv Resident, in Ukrainian:
On the 24th [February], everyone just came together and demonstrated that we really are one nation and that we don't want it.
Aliona, Kyiv Resident, in Ukrainian:
With each shelling, we only become stronger, we adapted, we survive every day. This makes us stronger, and we only show the enemy that we are not afraid of anything.
MYROSLAVA GONGADZE:
After one year of a full-scale invasion of Ukraine and nine years of war, this Wall of Remembrance honoring Ukrainian heroes who died defending their country is running out of space.
A few days ago, US President Biden came here to pay tribute to the Ukrainian sacrifice. Russia is trying to wear down Ukrainians’ resistance with prolonged war and regular missile attacks, but those techniques have not been effective; they make Ukrainians more resilient.
As the war drags on and evidence of Russian war crimes in liberated territories becomes known, public opinion research shows Ukrainians are overwhelmingly committed to victory and the liberation of their occupied territories.
While the Ukrainian human sacrifice of this war is growing, it makes Ukrainians even more determined to defeat Russia and join the Euro-Atlantic community.
Myroslava Gongadze, VOA News, Kyiv, Ukraine.
CAROLYN PRESUTTI:
Poland has been the first stop for millions of Ukrainians fleeing the war --- with more than one and a half million still there. Some Ukrainians crossing into Poland may be surprised at who’s
lending a helping hand.
Our Henry Ridgwell is on refugee watch in border town of Przemysl Poland.
HENRY RIDGWELL, Reporting for VOA:
Maria Kryuchkova says volunteering helps relieve her feelings of guilt as a Russian national.
When Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine a year ago, she left her home city of Syktyvkar and came to the Poland-Ukraine border to help the refugees.
Maria Kryuchkova, Russian Volunteer:
I needed to help somehow, someone. And that's why I was trying to find a volunteering program somewhere in Poland. The first time I came here, I was quite afraid to tell people that I'm Russian because I felt a lot of feelings at that time and I felt guilty. Sometimes it scares people. Sometimes they're really happy. But now I realize that people from Ukraine, they need to know that there are a lot of Russians who are against the war and who support them.
HENRY RIDGWELL:
The charity "Russians for Ukraine" runs a refugee shelter in this building close to the Ukrainian border.
Among those staying here is Anna Sulmya and her family, who fled to Poland from Dnipro — not far from the Ukrainian front lines.
Anna Sulyma, Ukrainian Refugee:
I really appreciate their support in the first place. Despite the fact that they are Russian — in every nation, every population, there are some who are not good.
HENRY RIDGWELL:
77-year-old Mykola Ivanovych has also been forced to flee his home. At first, he could not believe that Russia would wage war on Ukraine – so he stayed put. But a year into the war, Ivanovych says he has learned the true nature of Russia’s invasion.
Mykola Ivanovych, Ukrainian Refugee:
This is the eradication of the race. They want to eradicate Ukraine. They are not fighting. They are just exterminating the people. To erase Ukraine.
HENRY RIDGWELL:
The Russian volunteers say they will continue to help Ukrainian refugees as long as they are needed. But for Kryuchkova, that may not be easy. Her Polish visa will soon expire.
Maria Kryuchkova, Russian Volunteer:
Recently I got a message, a letter saying that I can be a national threat to Poland, and that's why probably they're not going to give me permission to stay. But I'm just waiting for it to be confirmed or not. And then we'll decide what to do. Because right now I cannot go to Russia, because probably I will be in jail.
HENRY RIDGWELL:
Kryuchkova says she will apply for political asylum if she is refused permission to stay.
Her flight to safety is one of choice, not survival. But like the Ukrainian refugees, she – and thousands of other Russians – are also fleeing the regime of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Henry Ridgwell, for VOA News, Przemysl, Poland.
STEVE BARAGONA, VOA Correspondent:
The fallout from Russia's invasion of Ukraine is leaving people hungry far from the battlefield.
Maximo Torero, Food and Agriculture Organization:
Just because of the war in Ukraine we calculated an increase of 10.7 million people more [are] chronically undernourished.
STEVE BARAGONA:
WFP says 349 million people in 79 countries are struggling to get enough food and more than 900,000 are close to famine.
Prices have backed off a bit from last year's record highs. But there is little comfort in that. But Husain finds little comfort in that.
Arif Husain, World Food Program:
If you are a poor country, if you have high debt, if you happen to import your food, fuel and fertilizer, you're still in big trouble.
CAROLYN PRESUTTI:
U.S Secretary of State Anthony Blinken visited Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan this week to --- in the words of the State Department -- “deepen bilateral cooperation.” Both countries were among 32 that abstained from a non-binding U.N. resolution calling for Russia to immediately withdraw from Ukraine. Another abstention: Pakistan. The import-dependent country is facing
soaring domestic prices while maintaining trade with Moscow for cheap energy. VOA Islamabad bureau chief Sarah Zaman explains the diplomatic tightrope Pakistan is trying to walk.
SARAH ZAMAN:
Russia's war in Ukraine derailed Ali Hasanain's plan to acquire an affordable foreign degree in medicine.
Hasanain was among hundreds of Pakistani students who fled Ukraine when Russian tanks rolled in.
Ali Hasanain, Student Who Fled Ukraine:
I am not in touch with anyone in Ukraine, because of the conditions there. I applied for admission to med school in Pakistan too but could not succeed due to the high grades required here.
SARAH ZAMAN:
Russia’s war has put Pakistan in a difficult position on the world stage.
Images of then-Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on the day Russian tanks entered Ukraine, embarrassed Islamabad.
As supply disruptions pushed up food and fuel prices around the world, Pakistan’s import-dependent economy, already beleaguered by the COVID-19 pandemic, devastating floods and mounting debt, faced increasing pressure.
Despite calling for peace, Pakistan, like a few dozen other countries, continued to abstain from voting on US-led UN resolutions that condemned Russian aggression.
Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry, Former Pakistani Foreign Secretary:
I think the broader dynamics was that Pakistan wanted to maintain good ties with all major powers. The question arose essentially in the context of U.S. China competition, but I think the point was well made we want to have good ties with the US, with China but also with Russia and all other powers.
SARAH ZAMAN:
Driven by growing food insecurity, Pakistan increased wheat imports from Russia.
As its neighbor and archrival India ramped up cheap energy imports from Moscow to a record high,
Pakistan pushed for discounted Russian oil and gas as well.
The two sides may reach a formal deal late in March.
Ukraine's Ambassador to Pakistan, Markian Chuchuk, says Islamabad’s policy of staying neutral in the conflict while doing business with Russia is ultimately helping Moscow.
Markian Chuchuk, Ukrainian Ambassador to Pakistan:
A responsible country should not turn a blind eye to the fact that in doing business with Russia, it may support waging war through oil money.
SARAH ZAMAN:
Ukraine, a major supplier of wheat to Pakistan, saw bilateral trade drop 73 percent as its exports came under Russian attacks.
Markian Chuchuk, Ukrainian Ambassador to Pakistan:
If Pakistan condemns Russian aggression against Ukraine, it doesn’t mean that it becomes a puppet of the West. This may be the position of a sovereign state.
SARAH ZAMAN:
Chaudry says Pakistan is exercising autonomy by not taking sides.
Sarah Zaman, VOA News, Islamabad.
CAROLYN PRESUTTI:
Casualties of war that are difficult to calculate are culture and the arts.
Dozens of Ukrainian ballet dancers fled over the past year of war, finding their way to the Netherlands to form a ballet company in exile. Our Mariia Ulianovska caught up with them during a performance here in Washington.
MARIIA ULIANOVSKA, VOA Correrspondent:
These five dozen dancers from Ukraine were forced to leave their homeland after Russia invaded. Today they make their home in the Netherlands, where they formed the United Ukrainian Ballet company and then embarked on a world tour that included a stop in Washington.
For some — like Mykyta Potapchuk — these were their first performances after ballet school.
Mykyta Potapchuk, United Ukrainian Ballet:
I had to grow up very fast. Back in Kyiv, I lived with my parents, and when I had to leave Ukraine, I got to visit over 20 countries in a year — it was such a sudden change. But I’m getting used to it.
Maxim Belokrynitsky, who danced with the National Opera of Ukraine, found himself in the Kyiv region in the first days of Russia’s invasion.
Maxim Belokrynitsky, United Ukrainian Ballet:
For a month, we lived a very tough life, and I realized I couldn’t go on like that. I decided to leave. There was no work, the theatre wasn’t working then.
MARIIA ULIANOVSKA:
Before the war, Dmytro Boroday, also danced with the National Opera of Ukraine. After Russia invaded, he traveled west from Kyiv – on foot.
Dmytro Boroday, United Ukrainian Ballet:
We decided to just walk toward Khmelnytskyi, so that’s what we did. A couple of times we got picked up by cars passing by, but in general it was pure survival.
MARIIA ULIANOVSKA:
The idea to unite Ukrainian ballet dancers from across the country into one company came from Dutch ballerina Igone De Jongh.
Igone de Jongh, United Ukrainian Ballet Artistic Director:
At the time I was dancing with two Ukrainian stars from the Kyiv National Opera, and when the war started, they were in Holland with me. And then through them I heard all these stories of their colleagues and friends in these horrible situations, and then I thought I want to try and help as many people as I can.
MARIIA ULIANOVSKA:
Many of the dancers never imagined they would end up in the Hague — let alone continue to perform and go on world tours.
Anastasiya Belechinskaya, United Ukrainian Ballet:
I didn’t take anything with me – just some winter clothes.
MARIIA ULIANOVSKA:
Despite never having worked together, dancers say they come together with something in common.
Alexei Ratmansky, Choreographer:
They all – myself and my wife – have families in Ukraine. So it's a constant worry. Every morning starts with checking the news just to make sure that your loved ones are okay. It's hard.
MARIIA ULIANOVSKA:
And no words speak louder than the beauty and sincerity of the ballet that these different artists with one shared story made happen.
For Mariia Ulianovska, Anna Rice, VOA News.
CAROLYN PRESUTTI:
“No words speak louder than a ballet these artists made happen” --- love that line. And – a story dear to my heart since ballet was my minor in college.
That’s all for now.
Stay up to date with all the news at VOANews.com.
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Catch up on past episodes at our free streaming service, VOA Plus.
For all of those behind the scenes who brought you today’s show, I’m Carolyn Presutti.
We’ll see you next week for The Inside Story.
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