Ukraine: Chilean residents and the threat of a Russian invasion

Khreshchatyk, the main street in the center of kyiv, maintains its usual hustle and bustle: people shop, walk, and in the background the televisions show Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky calling for calm, and proposing a joint meeting to the European powers and Russia to negotiate an agreement between all. A little further from the Dnieper, the river that divides the Ukrainian capital, a group of physics students get together to do exercises, military practices, which in a while will end to take their backpacks and go to class.

As the NATO-Russia talks progress, the possibility of an invasion by Moscow sways: sometimes the disagreement is scary, sometimes a foreign minister appears and says the talks are "promising." The 130,000 Russian soldiers, for their part, have not moved in recent weeks , and their presence on the Ukrainian border remains just as threatening.

For this reason, the Chilean embassy in Poland, which is concurrent in Ukraine, sent a statement to all Chileans who are in the latter country: "Send us an email to find out how many there are and where they are." Until Thursday, 32 compatriots were known. Some of them spoke with La Tercera about the situation in the Slavic country.

Felipe Albornoz (36) is from Viña del Mar, and arrived in 2018 to work in Ukraine. He currently has a YouTube channel, “Latin America and Ukraine”, and has carefully followed the development of the conflict. “Personally I am preparing myself, in case there is a war. At least I know how to make bread dough and empanadas, so we're going to fight with that. We are not as relaxed as the authorities say we should be. You still have to be proactive." Albornoz lives with his wife and daughter in kyiv, and at least for his part, he decided to stock up on flour, non-perishables and candles, among other things.

Regarding the mood of the Ukrainians, he comments that the mood is divided. “There are people who are calm, others worried, there are people who believe that there will be no conflict here in Ukraine. There are others who feel safe with the protection that the United States can provide, with military support, and trust in that," says the agricultural technician.

Alejandro Carvallo (45), sees the citizens a little more restless: “The mood of the Ukrainians is that they will not leave their city and that they are willing to fight. There is a statistic that says that 50% of Ukrainians are ready to go to war for their country, because they have been eternally trampled on by Russia. It is sad for them, because they have been at war for eight years, in a very long and exhausted war, but they are not willing to give themselves up”.

To make matters worse, Carvallo - who arrived in Chile this month on vacation, but returns to Ukraine in February - indicates that the Russians have settled in Belarus, which points to a threat to kyiv. "There are 250 kilometers that distance the border with Belarus, a very simple thing for them to enter," he says. In any case, he points out that many veterans of the 2014 war are willing to take up arms: “There are also civilian forces, which are forces that are preparing now, they are civilian volunteers. In fact, I have a lawyer friend who went to war, and they teach you how to handle weapons, or if you have knowledge, they teach you how to practice war. That's what the volunteers are doing now."

In fact, the Ukrainian police sent a statement to its citizens in the following terms: "Kryshchenko - head of the Kiev police - asked the residents of Kiev to keep a cool head, not to panic, to carry out standard training in such situations. Gather documents, warm clothing, cash, and a first aid kit in one place. Those who wish to join the defense, please contact the referral service of the Kyiv City State Administration.”

Despite the support that NATO has given the country, sending ships and aligning itself with the Ukrainian position, Carvallo assures that it is not enough for them. “They feel a bit unprotected and that they don't have enough support, because prepared soldiers are needed, not just weapons. The weapons arrive and you have to prepare the military to use them, it's not that simple” , says the lawyer from La Serena.

From Odessa, in the south of Ukraine and on the shores of the Black Sea, a compatriot who spoke with La Tercera, but who asked not to be identified for security reasons, affirms that the concerns of the citizens are different. “There is no fear, rather indifference . There is concern for the immediate future, for the already ailing economy that continues to fall. The dollar has skyrocketed, as have the prices of basic necessities, gas, transportation, electricity.”

Jaime Rosales (39) arrived in Concepción last Friday, but has been traveling between Ukraine and Chile since 2016 for his work as an astronomer. “You can see that people are still walking on Khreshchatyk, which is the main street in the center of kyiv. A little further from it you can still see people walking their babies, that is, it is quite calm, one can even go to the parks. What they do, is that they feel a little sad, that certain areas are attacked with the Russians, that they lie saying that they are not attacking and that they are the Ukrainians, and that discord occurs” , he relates. He also points out that there is no shortage, but that flour has begun to be bought from Turkey.

What he does affirm with certainty are the military practices carried out by the students of the university where he works, both men and women, something that is already common. “ Some time ago they made changes to the issue of recruitment for military service, which would be mandatory for women over 18, up to 50. It is not yet fully confirmed, but these possibilities are being seen. I think it goes a little hand in hand with the reactions that Russia has had,” says Rosales.

Everyone agrees that the authorities seek to reassure the population: “The messages that politicians have sent to date have been of calm, of peace, not to worry, not to get upset. Basically they have been in it: they have not been calling for war, or anything like that, even the Ukrainians are always trying to stop these warlike issues from continuing” , says Rosales.

"The Ukrainian president said that he was prepared and that he was not afraid," says Albornoz. On the media, he indicates that his position is that kyiv is ready for anything. “Plus NATO support, the Russians are not supposed to take over here. And if they were to take it, blood will flow, I see it that way, it will not be easy for the Russians nor will they reach Kiev by magic ”.

Regarding the media, Carvallo also thinks: “For the Ukrainians, clearly, troop movements are shown in different places, there is news all the time. In Donbas someone always dies, daily or several people a week . There is a ceasefire, but there are always attacks by the Russians or the pro-Russian, rather the rebel forces.”

“The position of the Ukrainian media is the position of the West, they cannot have another position, because if they do not close them or accuse their owners of treason against the fatherland, as they did with the owner of one of the three channels that closed the last year, with the surname Medvedchuk”, explains the Odessa resident.

Whether or not there will be a war, opinions differ. Rosales trusts that the conflict will be unblocked through diplomatic channels: “My perception is that nothing is going to happen, it is simply a tension, as often happens in many countries, but it will not escalate further . This has always happened in the area of ​​Donbas and Crimea, because some are still pro-Russian, and they want to be Russian, but I don't think it will happen to something so high, like there is an invasion or something like that."

Still, other countries are taking steps to protect their citizens in case the worst happens. “ The United States has already contacted, and is already telling its citizens to leave Ukraine, that the diplomats stay, which is essential, and that their families return to the United States. And there are many North Americans, it was established that there are more than 15,000 in Ukraine”, recalls Carvallo, who is the administrator of the Chilean group in Ukraine.

From the Chilean side, contacts with compatriots living in Ukraine began this week. “ This Foreign Ministry recommends its nationals to avoid, or postpone, traveling to that country until the socio-political situation calms down,” says the statement from the Chilean consulate in Poland.

For his part, Albornoz believes that sooner or later the war could break out. “Although the authorities tell you to be calm, that nothing will happen and everything will be fine, and that the US is going to protect us, that is not the case. Here if there is a war, they cut off the electricity, the internet, and obviously there will be shortages, and the products will go up in price , ”says the Viñamarino, who is preparing for the same reason.

The Chilean resident of Odessa, on the other hand, does not worry about it. "I have no plan, I am already convinced that the West will not achieve its goals, and because Russia has said in all terms that it has not planned, that it does not plan and that it will not plan an invasion of Ukraine," he says. “ Everything that could happen has already happened during these last eight years.”