Society
A Look Inside Shebekino: ‘People Here Understand that We are Trash to Our Government’
August 1, 2024
- Maria LitvinovaJournalist
Dmitri, a resident of Shebekino, Belgorod Region – a small town right next to the border with Ukraine that has been under constant shelling since the start of the war – gave an interview about life there.
The original text in Russian was published in Republic. We are republishing it here with their permission.
Shebekino (Belgorod Region) after shelling. Source: Pepel Telegram channel
Over the last month, things have rather quieted down in the city of Belgorod; people are somehow getting back to their lives, going out. It was the same before the winter. The danger remains, however, and attack warnings do sound, and loudly, but they have become rare. Now, it is Shebekino and villages bordering Ukraine that are bearing the brunt of Ukrainian attacks. Every day civilians are injured and killed. It is already in the realm of statistics.
‘Every family has someone who has suffered’
I cannot say that people here have got used to the war. They are used to being afraid, not going anywhere, having to hide, to loud sounds. They understand what is flying over them, where it is coming from, in what direction and so on. Naturally, though, passions are heating up, because in every family there is already someone who has suffered or been killed.
A man was killed not far from my house; a drone flew into his apartment on Zheleznodorozhnaya Street. Footage from the apartment and fragments of his body were posted online. This happened a few days before the tragedy where an entrance to an apartment building on the same street collapsed after an explosion. He was a young guy, left behind a pregnant wife and a small child. And his parents had been killed shortly before that. As far as I know, the authorities help the families of the dead and injured and provide some kind of compensation. But again, what does that assistance mean? A woman’s husband was killed, her home completely destroyed, with a child about to be born. There is nothing that can compensate for a person’s life.
Now, there is talk everywhere that last June is coming back to Shebekino (at the beginning of June 2023, Shebekino, which has a population of 40,000, saw intense shelling from Ukraine, with residents evacuated en masse from the town – Republic); heavy shelling has continued for two months. The authorities have closed some border villages, closed the town bus station. Everyone knows that nothing good is coming; it’s like a new hot phase [of the war] has started.
‘Every family has someone who has suffered’
I cannot say that people here have got used to the war. They are used to being afraid, not going anywhere, having to hide, to loud sounds. They understand what is flying over them, where it is coming from, in what direction and so on. Naturally, though, passions are heating up, because in every family there is already someone who has suffered or been killed.
A man was killed not far from my house; a drone flew into his apartment on Zheleznodorozhnaya Street. Footage from the apartment and fragments of his body were posted online. This happened a few days before the tragedy where an entrance to an apartment building on the same street collapsed after an explosion. He was a young guy, left behind a pregnant wife and a small child. And his parents had been killed shortly before that. As far as I know, the authorities help the families of the dead and injured and provide some kind of compensation. But again, what does that assistance mean? A woman’s husband was killed, her home completely destroyed, with a child about to be born. There is nothing that can compensate for a person’s life.
Now, there is talk everywhere that last June is coming back to Shebekino (at the beginning of June 2023, Shebekino, which has a population of 40,000, saw intense shelling from Ukraine, with residents evacuated en masse from the town – Republic); heavy shelling has continued for two months. The authorities have closed some border villages, closed the town bus station. Everyone knows that nothing good is coming; it’s like a new hot phase [of the war] has started.
“There are fewer and fewer people in the town, clearly. I think about 30% of the population has left, the rest have nowhere to go and no reason to leave. The authorities are not promising us anything.”
They only offer to settle us in temporary accommodation centers. If it was for a week – fine, OK. But we understand that there are years to go. Many people have apartments in Shebekino, and people are renting housing in Belgorod. Nobody compensates them for these expenses; we pay for utilities in one place and for rent in another. The children study online, and there are huge problems with communication in Shebekino now. The internet, the phone – no one knows what those are anymore, you might say. The signal is very bad, the internet unstable.
Daily life of Shebekino (Belgorod Region). Source: Pepel Telegram channel
‘Everyone sits at home’
It is in Shebekino where the situation has taken another turn for the worse since May. From the beginning of the war, it was always tense: sometimes flak from air defense systems rains down, sometimes shelling, but you could live with it. Now, not only are there endless explosions, but drones have become very active. What does Shebekino look like now? It’s a sorry sight. On the one hand, the town is full of flowers, pretty, but here and there you see houses damaged by shelling. Buses rarely run, no one goes out at all. There are no people as such in the courtyards or on the streets. Everyone sits at home.
In June, kids were injured, one died (on June 11, five teenagers were injured in a drone attack in Shebekino, one of them dying a few days later in the hospital; a total of 17 people were injured in the town that day. – Republic). I know that he was the only son in the family.
They were out in the courtyard, sitting in the gazebo. Young people go out to the courtyards; they need to socialize somehow. The shelling began. The media wrote that it was children, but, in fairness, they were big boys, fully grown. But the fact that the drone hit civilians is a fact. And that is unacceptable. Civilians from either side should not suffer. They were not in camouflage; they were not next to military equipment. It was just teenagers sitting in a gazebo near a residential building, and a drone hit them.
‘There are more and more questions for the authorities’
In any case, violence begets violence. Whereas before I saw one side as the victim, now hatred is spreading. I know there is a reason, and it is not in favor of our country. But how are you better [than us] then? I see both sympathy and malice from both Ukrainians and Russians. There are fools everywhere.
Over the two and a half years of the war, the attitude toward it has changed greatly in Shebekino.
It is in Shebekino where the situation has taken another turn for the worse since May. From the beginning of the war, it was always tense: sometimes flak from air defense systems rains down, sometimes shelling, but you could live with it. Now, not only are there endless explosions, but drones have become very active. What does Shebekino look like now? It’s a sorry sight. On the one hand, the town is full of flowers, pretty, but here and there you see houses damaged by shelling. Buses rarely run, no one goes out at all. There are no people as such in the courtyards or on the streets. Everyone sits at home.
In June, kids were injured, one died (on June 11, five teenagers were injured in a drone attack in Shebekino, one of them dying a few days later in the hospital; a total of 17 people were injured in the town that day. – Republic). I know that he was the only son in the family.
They were out in the courtyard, sitting in the gazebo. Young people go out to the courtyards; they need to socialize somehow. The shelling began. The media wrote that it was children, but, in fairness, they were big boys, fully grown. But the fact that the drone hit civilians is a fact. And that is unacceptable. Civilians from either side should not suffer. They were not in camouflage; they were not next to military equipment. It was just teenagers sitting in a gazebo near a residential building, and a drone hit them.
‘There are more and more questions for the authorities’
In any case, violence begets violence. Whereas before I saw one side as the victim, now hatred is spreading. I know there is a reason, and it is not in favor of our country. But how are you better [than us] then? I see both sympathy and malice from both Ukrainians and Russians. There are fools everywhere.
Over the two and a half years of the war, the attitude toward it has changed greatly in Shebekino.
“As long as the war did not affect you personally, you looked at it as if it was a show. Some supported the war, some did not, but now everyone has felt it.”
People say: how much can we take, how many can we bury, why are we making sacrifices for everyone else? I cannot speak for all Shebekino residents, but in my social circle there are more and more questions for and dissatisfaction with the authorities.
Why do they not visit us, why does no one hear us? Why did they talk about “red lines” before, but now it’s like they have sold us out? Of course, the attitude to the government is changing, and in a very negative way. Even if some supported the war, they also see the broken houses, injured children, their own ruined life. It’s not even fatigue, but rather despair and hopelessness. Everyone says: make everything go back to how it was; you are playing with your toys there while we are losing lives.
At first, many of us also looked at what was happening with the Ukrainians like it was a show. And now we are experiencing the same thing as them. But Shebekino residents, who have empathy, understood all this before. They understood that nothing could justify the deaths of people, full stop. But people who lack this empathy do not see the cause and effect.
Sure, war fatigue is widespread among Shebekino residents, but some know why this is happening [to us], while others, on the contrary, say: why us? Yes, we are on the receiving end, but few are ready to openly talk about why. Firstly, it is against the law, everyone is afraid of punishment. And in general, our society is accustomed to hushing up these problems. But the people I talk with, my colleagues, friends, everyone understands everything.
Our head of Shebekin, [Vladimir] Zhdanov, is a tired man who performs his duties mechanically. I do not see addresses to the townspeople; I do not see him holding meetings, communicating with people, calling journalists or answering any questions.
I do not see him showing any initiative, going to see the governor, getting anything done. He has a routine: something gets hit – he comes, he expresses sympathy, he leaves. Anyone can do that. The governor [Belgorod Region Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov] comes, inspects an area, Zhdanov walks with him.
‘No one sees the goal, meaning or cause of the war’
Regarding the governor: many here believe that he can solve the problem with defense. But personally, I think he is doing all he can. It seems to me that this man is no longer happy that he is the governor of Belgorod Region, because the most difficult [job] in our country has fallen on his shoulders. He has been accused of promoting himself by visiting sites of shelling. But all governors promote themselves.
Why do they not visit us, why does no one hear us? Why did they talk about “red lines” before, but now it’s like they have sold us out? Of course, the attitude to the government is changing, and in a very negative way. Even if some supported the war, they also see the broken houses, injured children, their own ruined life. It’s not even fatigue, but rather despair and hopelessness. Everyone says: make everything go back to how it was; you are playing with your toys there while we are losing lives.
At first, many of us also looked at what was happening with the Ukrainians like it was a show. And now we are experiencing the same thing as them. But Shebekino residents, who have empathy, understood all this before. They understood that nothing could justify the deaths of people, full stop. But people who lack this empathy do not see the cause and effect.
Sure, war fatigue is widespread among Shebekino residents, but some know why this is happening [to us], while others, on the contrary, say: why us? Yes, we are on the receiving end, but few are ready to openly talk about why. Firstly, it is against the law, everyone is afraid of punishment. And in general, our society is accustomed to hushing up these problems. But the people I talk with, my colleagues, friends, everyone understands everything.
Our head of Shebekin, [Vladimir] Zhdanov, is a tired man who performs his duties mechanically. I do not see addresses to the townspeople; I do not see him holding meetings, communicating with people, calling journalists or answering any questions.
I do not see him showing any initiative, going to see the governor, getting anything done. He has a routine: something gets hit – he comes, he expresses sympathy, he leaves. Anyone can do that. The governor [Belgorod Region Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov] comes, inspects an area, Zhdanov walks with him.
‘No one sees the goal, meaning or cause of the war’
Regarding the governor: many here believe that he can solve the problem with defense. But personally, I think he is doing all he can. It seems to me that this man is no longer happy that he is the governor of Belgorod Region, because the most difficult [job] in our country has fallen on his shoulders. He has been accused of promoting himself by visiting sites of shelling. But all governors promote themselves.
“Last year, the governor said in an interview with a federal television channel that shelling of Belgorod Region would stop when Kharkiv Region was incorporated into it. Right after this, people fled Shebekino en masse.”
In January, in a speech at VDNKh, he said that Belgorod residents are not rats to hide out in basements. But now, when an attack looks imminent, he writes: go down to basements, get underground.
People get ticked off at him for this, but generally they are OK with him. Naturally, he spends crazy amounts of money to promote himself; he has a PR team. We all understand this. But we also see that he is still closer to the people; compared with other officials, he is not that bad.
Most people in Russia, in my view, do not support the war and do not want to fight. The authorities say that many men throughout the country are voluntarily enlisting, but I do not believe it. I only believe it could be because of money.
I talk a lot with different people, including soldiers. Everyone is very tired and wants to go home, no one sees the goal, meaning or reason for the war. Some say “[they are] our boys” and make food for them. I can understand that too. Women sent their husbands off to war and they cannot hate their men for what they do. I can understand them.
People in the border regions who are being shelled, of course, are bitter at the rest of Russia. What other people can do to stop the war is not very clear to me, but they can at least not hold festivals, or maybe show some kind of solidarity when children are buried in Shebekino.
Recently, I came across an article that in some city in Russia a cucumber-crunching festival is being held. This is a slap in the face. So, money has been allocated to see who can bite a cucumber the loudest. What’s that about?
I believe that if you, in other regions, are such patriots, you think that you are with us, you want to help us, how about, for example, the governor of Tula Region says: this year we have such and such festivals on the program, but we are sending all the money to Belgorod Region, there will be no festivals? What about doing just that?
People get ticked off at him for this, but generally they are OK with him. Naturally, he spends crazy amounts of money to promote himself; he has a PR team. We all understand this. But we also see that he is still closer to the people; compared with other officials, he is not that bad.
Most people in Russia, in my view, do not support the war and do not want to fight. The authorities say that many men throughout the country are voluntarily enlisting, but I do not believe it. I only believe it could be because of money.
I talk a lot with different people, including soldiers. Everyone is very tired and wants to go home, no one sees the goal, meaning or reason for the war. Some say “[they are] our boys” and make food for them. I can understand that too. Women sent their husbands off to war and they cannot hate their men for what they do. I can understand them.
People in the border regions who are being shelled, of course, are bitter at the rest of Russia. What other people can do to stop the war is not very clear to me, but they can at least not hold festivals, or maybe show some kind of solidarity when children are buried in Shebekino.
Recently, I came across an article that in some city in Russia a cucumber-crunching festival is being held. This is a slap in the face. So, money has been allocated to see who can bite a cucumber the loudest. What’s that about?
I believe that if you, in other regions, are such patriots, you think that you are with us, you want to help us, how about, for example, the governor of Tula Region says: this year we have such and such festivals on the program, but we are sending all the money to Belgorod Region, there will be no festivals? What about doing just that?
“But the government’s task is to bother people as little as possible with the war.”
Take even last year: Shebekino is under fire, people are crying, running, left without anything. And in Belgorod there is a festival of tulips and dumplings, the governor is writing about fairs. In those days, Shebekino just hated Belgorod. Shebekino residents were fleeing the town without anything, only their underwear and documents, and Belgorod residents were renting them apartments for RUB35,000 [a month]. And then the same thing happened to Belgorod. And now they look at other regions and are also like: festivals, holidays, what’s that about?
In one village in Shebekinsky District there was a huge dairy farm, several hundred heads of cows. When they started bombing, the livestock were just released because it was impossible to evacuate them. Right into minefields – they walked into minefields and got blown up by mines. The animals were sent to their deaths, along with their little calves. And the rest of the country has cucumber-crunching festivals.
Society is very divided. Some say, “Donbas was bombed for eight years,” but for some reason they do not mention the fact that Shebekino has been bombed for two and a half years. Somehow this is not a catchphrase. But they say: tough it out.
My relatives in Lipetsk Region once said: the forest is being cut down, wood chips are flying. We have not talked to them since; I do not pick up the phone. They will raise their children, marry them and raise their grandchildren. Meanwhile, our children wet themselves every time a supersonic plane flies over. Others have lost their mom or dad.
In one village in Shebekinsky District there was a huge dairy farm, several hundred heads of cows. When they started bombing, the livestock were just released because it was impossible to evacuate them. Right into minefields – they walked into minefields and got blown up by mines. The animals were sent to their deaths, along with their little calves. And the rest of the country has cucumber-crunching festivals.
Society is very divided. Some say, “Donbas was bombed for eight years,” but for some reason they do not mention the fact that Shebekino has been bombed for two and a half years. Somehow this is not a catchphrase. But they say: tough it out.
My relatives in Lipetsk Region once said: the forest is being cut down, wood chips are flying. We have not talked to them since; I do not pick up the phone. They will raise their children, marry them and raise their grandchildren. Meanwhile, our children wet themselves every time a supersonic plane flies over. Others have lost their mom or dad.
Vovchansk (Ukraine, Kharkiv Region). Source: Pepel Telegram channel
In Vovchansk (a town in Ukraine’s Kharkiv Region, 15 kilometers from Shebekino and 4.5 kilometers from the border with Russia – Republic) it’s just awful, there is no longer a city. What is happening in Shebekino, of course, is not even close to the destruction in Vovchansk. Something similar is happening now with our villages like Kozinka, Murom, Krasnoye, Bezymeno. People have been chased out.
I have relatives in Kharkiv Region, in Ukraine. We have not quarreled. Both me and them, we all understand and support each other. We are not so close, but we always ask each other if we are OK.
For the war to stop, there must be a ceasefire and a peace treaty signed. That’s the only way.
I have relatives in Kharkiv Region, in Ukraine. We have not quarreled. Both me and them, we all understand and support each other. We are not so close, but we always ask each other if we are OK.
For the war to stop, there must be a ceasefire and a peace treaty signed. That’s the only way.
“Shebekino residents collected more than 4,000 signatures for Putin to stop the shelling. Because of that, local propagandists began to call us enemies and provocateurs.”
Of course, people are afraid to speak out against the war. But what would antiwar statements do? How many Shebekino residents are there and how many men does Rosgvardiya have? After this petition, I think that if anything comes of it, perhaps there will be some relief measures, some money will be allocated. Maybe some people will be given RUB 10,000, and they will think it’s better than nothing. But, unfortunately, the big picture will not change.
People will endure and complain from time to time. What else can you do? Petitions will not stop the war; it will end for completely different reasons. But what I know for sure: people here understand that we are trash to our government.
People will endure and complain from time to time. What else can you do? Petitions will not stop the war; it will end for completely different reasons. But what I know for sure: people here understand that we are trash to our government.
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