Peruvian in Ukraine: “The attacks do not stop, where I live bombs have fallen throughout the day”

Peruvian Nivio Ilich Huamán Flor is well aware of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. Eight years ago he had to leave the life he had in Crimea when the Ukrainian peninsula was annexed by Moscow. He closed his businesses, sold his apartment and moved to Kiev, the capital. It did not seem logical to him to stay in an area that was a focus of tension. But now the whole country has become a mined area. The war has already begun and it is all the residents of the former Soviet republic who feel the horror.

“What worries me the most is my family”, says Nivio through a WhatsApp call. The afternoon of Thursday the 24th has begun to fall, the day that will be marked as the beginning of the Russian military invasion in eastern Ukraineand the bombings are still heard throughout the country.

Nivio fears for his wife and two children, all three Ukrainians, with whom he lives in the Odessa region, in the south of the country. There, our compatriot, who has spent 30 years in Ukraine, has a Peruvian restobar that he must now keep closed. The priority is to get safe.

“The war, the invasion, the bombings are taking place and continue throughout the country. In the south, where I am, a few bombs fell during the day”, he tells El Comercio. He says that the streets are practically empty, there are not many people or cars. People are either at home or have already left. The Peruvian and his family are still at home waiting for some good news. “But it seems it won’t be like that. We’ll have another hard night here”.

The passing of the hours is especially complex for Nivio. His sons are 12 and 19 years old and the oldest is called to do military service and is prohibited from leaving the country, like all young people over 18 years of age. Our compatriot tried for several days to get his eldest son out of Ukrainebut it was not possible.

“I would like my family to leave here, at least to the areas closest to the border with Poland. I cannot move my first-born because at any moment they can arrest him and they will confiscate his document and they can take him to the Army”, he says with concern.

“We cannot go to another country, we cannot cross the borders because they are closed“, the Mint.

in conspicuous inferiority

Nivio shares his concern with all the residents of Ukraine who have been involved in a war they did not ask for. The compatriot affirms that the citizens do not want to participate in a warlike conflict, much less with Russia. According to data from the Foreign Ministry provided to El Comercio, 84 nationals were registered on the electoral roll in Ukraine for the 2021 elections.

“Ukraine does not have the same military capacity as Russia. Keep in mind that since its independence, Ukraine is a country that has almost completely disarmed itself, even its atomic bombs, which it inherited from the Soviet Union, now do not have one. In these eight years we can already speak of a Ukrainian Army, which is a little more prepared and has weapons thanks to the help of the West. But it’s not enough to counter a Russian invasion”, he points out.

He says that, at the moment, the strong attacks come from the north with bombardments that use long-distance rockets. According to the news, from Belarus. Authorities report that there are already dozens of dead on both sides. On odessaat least 18 people died as a result of a Russian air attack on a military unit.

“The spirits are down. My biggest concern is my children and my wife, who feels very bad about everything that is happening”, says Nivio, who is still able to have some kind of communication with friends and family through the phone. But he fears that soon it will not be so.

______________