Evacuated Russians in Ukraine shared their experience of the attack on a boarding school in Sudzha: "We love our country and our president."
The Washington Post reports on this, having spoken with over 40 Russian civilians who found themselves in Ukraine.
Most of these civilians crossed the border during a nighttime evacuation following a deadly attack on a boarding school in Sudzha on February 1. Many elderly individuals entered from Russia in both civilian and military Ukrainian vehicles with their headlights turned off to avoid detection by Russian drones.
Several other Russians, injured during subsequent attacks, made their way to Ukraine just a few days later.
This cross-border evacuation from the Kursk region marked the largest such movement of Russian civilians since the beginning of the Kursk operation. Ukraine intends to attempt to return these individuals through Belarus back to Russia, as had been done with other evacuees before.
WP journalists met with evacuated civilians in a Ukrainian hospital and shelter. There were no military personnel present, only police, who were tasked with ensuring that local residents did not disturb the evacuees. Those Russians who had passports were required to submit them for verification by the SBU.
At the same time, the Sumy regional military administration noted that they could leave freely, but most did not do so as they had nowhere to go. Only one elderly woman managed to reach her Ukrainian relatives.
The evacuees shared their experiences with journalists regarding the strike on the boarding school in Sudzha. They mentioned that they were already preparing for sleep at that time. Among those who spoke with WP was 69-year-old Antonina Romanova, who was struck by a falling wall. She now has broken legs.
According to her, both civilians and Ukrainian soldiers rushed to rescue her, but they were unable to reach her due to the debris. The woman heard military personnel shouting to locals to hide from Russian drones overhead, warning that the building could be attacked again.
“We love our country and our president. Despite what has happened to us, we love our country and will never betray it,” said her 69-year-old partner Mikhail, noting that he and two of his friends voted for Putin.
The man expressed mixed feelings about the Ukrainian operation. He recounted that last year a soldier allegedly “threatened him with a grenade and stole his car,” but others provided food, humanitarian aid, and support to civilians.
At the same time, Mikhail acknowledged that he knows the consequences of the war “in Ukraine are not better, but worse.”
Another man, 63-year-old Sergey, also voted for Putin. When asked what message he had for his government, he stated that the war must end, and something good needs to be “brought to the people so they can forget everything as soon as possible.”
Evacuated 61-year-old Nikolai emphasized: “I’ve had enough of this war. I am against it.”
While Romanova mentioned that she did not know who was responsible for the attack that injured her and left her trapped for nearly 24 hours, her 72-year-old brother, a Ukrainian citizen, expressed no doubt that it was a Russian strike. “What else?” he asked.
More on the shelling
On February 1 at approximately 17:54, Russian forces struck a boarding school building in Sudzha, Kursk region, with a guided aerial bomb, which is controlled by the Ukrainian Defense Forces.
At the time of the shelling, the boarding school primarily housed elderly individuals. A total of 95 people were trapped under the debris by the time of the attack.
As a result of the attack, 4 people died. During the debris clearance, 84 civilians were rescued and provided with medical assistance, with their health condition being satisfactory. Four others are in serious condition.
The General Staff reported that those in urgent need of assistance were transported to medical facilities within Ukraine.