The blasting of the Kakhovka dam last week shocked all Ukrainians, whether we live at home or in exile. We were on social media day and night to assess the extent of the disaster and – if possible – to help the victims.
The images of the tragedy and the screenshots from the local groups, where the Ukrainians were looking for their relatives in the disaster area, will probably stay in my memory for a lifetime. Two tragedies struck me in particular. A video shows a mother of two trying to reach a small bottle of water from a flying drone through a skylight. The bottle is a chance for her family to survive. In another video, a mother tells how she and her children were able to save themselves from the water masses in an attic. From there, however, they had to listen to their elderly neighbors first beg for help and then scream in desperation – and shortly afterwards drown in agony. They were too old to climb into the attic.
For many days I was very worried about the family of a colleague. She had no contact with either her uncle or her grandmother. After five days we finally found out that the family is alive. She was also able to shelter under the roof of her house in the Russian-occupied zone. A neighbor had struggled through the flood waters to check on her. It is unclear whether they will be rescued from there. According to the Ukrainian government, the Russians made no move. Instead, they would shoot at civilians, rescue workers, and volunteers
I don’t know of anyone who has been untouched by this tragedy. I know three people myself who drove their cars directly to the disaster area in order to rescue people who were in danger of their lives. All my friends are now donating for inflatable boats, rescue gear and drinking water. Online, many of my acquaintances who stayed in Ukraine help coordinate operations.
My compatriots here in Bavaria are trying to publicize another topic on the subject. For us, regardless of any search for those directly to blame, it is crystal clear who is responsible for this catastrophe: Russia. Because if there were no war against my country, the dam would not have been blown up either.
In Nuremberg, people protest against the war, while refugees report on the fate of their relatives in the area where the dam was blown up.
(Photo: Olesya Zozulya / oh)
To get that across to people, my friends Kateryna Plaksiy and Dmytro Pyvovarov organized a gathering in Nuremberg with about 500 participants. Many of them have family and friends in the Cherson area and wanted to tell their stories on stage – but often anonymously for fear of the Russians.
A woman from Oleschky near Cherson reported that in her hometown a great many people, mostly older ones, and animals died and now the carcasses are floating in the water. She also said that the occupiers would promise to bring everyone in Crimea to safety if they accepted a Russian ID card. Many, including seniors, would do without and prefer to stay in the flooded area.
With every new story I heard, I feel like I’m reaching the limit of what I can bear, or as we Ukrainians say: the cup of my suffering is overflowing. I therefore sincerely hope that everyone will always remember who is to blame for this horror. Ukraine is not.
Emiliia Dieniezhna, 35, fled from Kiev to Pullach near Munich with her then four-year-old daughter Ewa. She works voluntarily for the non-governmental organization NAKO, which aims to fight corruption in Ukraine. She also teaches German to Ukrainian refugee children. Once a week she writes a column for the SZ about her view from Munich on the events in her home country.