Almost two months after fleeing, Vera Belobrova is still in a state of shock. In Kursk, the capital of the Russian region partially occupied by the Ukrainian army since its attack on August 6, this frail 85-year-old grandmother talks about the drones over her small town near the border, her destroyed house and her abandoned orchard. , his hiding place with the children in the local monastery attacked by enemy fire, the long walk through the forest, the car picking up some fleeing survivors. Then the arrival in Kursk, where from now on Vera Belobrova lives in a temporary accommodation center at the foot of the park of one of the city’s universities. “I survived the 1941-1945 war and now the horror begins again”he whispers between sobs.
In her story, the babushka combines her childhood memories of 1943, the date of the great battle of Kursk between the Red Army and Nazi Germany, and those of her escape in August with one of her grandchildren. Sitting on a metal bed in a room shared with three other evacuee women, she taps her forehead with one hand and clutches her handkerchief with the other.
Vera Belobrova speaks in a mix of Russian and Ukrainian because, like many residents of this border region, her life and family are torn between the two countries. His daughter has long lived in Kharkiv, the Ukrainian city attacked by the Russian army. “There is also war there and people are suffering”slides. In Vera Belobrova’s statements her own words are mixed, but also the formulas repeated on Russian television, in “victory against the Nazis”in 1943 and in 2024.
“We have confidence in our army”
Accustomed to living modestly, Vera Belobrova and the approximately five hundred refugees settled at the Kursk Agrarian University are satisfied with the reception conditions. Life happens between the bedrooms and a dining room with three meals a day. In a class, a father watches over the children, who, far from their village school, follow lessons remotely, with their eyes glued to the textbooks and tablets offered by the region. In the kitchen and laundry area there are microwave ovens and washing machines. They are flanked by large labels in the colors of… United Russia. The Kremlin party finances this equipment. And he assures that refugees are welcome.
“Not refugees. Displaced people. “It’s temporary.”quickly corrects Alexandre Moussial, rector of the university, who, also a member of United Russia, is the main organizer. He mobilized students and teachers. “We have confidence in our army so that, quickly, everyone can return home soon”he assures. The official speech, repeated on television in this reception center as throughout Russia, affirms that the counteroffensive is advancing.
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