Infobae in Ukraine: the war separated them, she stayed in a city under attack and he went there to bring her groceries

No one knows Eugene, but he's a hero of this war. He denies it: “Heroes are in the movies,” he says, and dodges the camera. But he's been sleeping for three hours a day for two weeks and dedicating all his time to solving other people's situations. He takes women who want to leave the country to Moldova, buys food for a shelter for animals abandoned in the war, obtains equipment for territorial forces and takes medicine to a secret military hospital, where they care for soldiers arriving from the front. Those are the days of Eugene. Those and this one that we will tell here: the day he received the call from his ex-girlfriend.

Valerie is ten years younger than him. They were together for two years, but with the war they broke up. Eugene sometimes says she's my girlfriend, sometimes she says she's my ex, but whenever she talks about Valerie he gets more serious and happier. Both lived in Odessa, the pearl of the Black Sea, but with the outbreak of the war she returned to the family home in Mykolaiv. He didn't know that his city was going to become one of the battlefronts, and he wanted to be with his mother, sister and niece.

The war progressed too fast over the south. The Russians took Mariupol, then Kherson, and were within reach of Mykolaiv. Valerie was surprised because it didn't seem like a city that was fundamental, beyond its important port and the many shipyards installed there. In addition, of course, it is a city that serves as a barrier to two key points: Odessa, only 117 kilometers away; and the nuclear power plant in Southern Ukraine, where about 10% of the country's electricity is produced. But this military logic, which seems natural to everyone here today, was not part of the talks a month ago.

Valerie's family home is, in fact, her sister's house. It is on the outskirts of the city and has not yet finished construction: the walls were not painted, it does not have heating, and the bathroom is a makeshift construction outside the house. It has, yes, a shelter. It's four meters underground and ten days ago they spend nights there. There are mattresses, food, a salamander and some toys from Sophie, Valerie's niece.

When the bombings began in Mykolaiv, people went into hiding. But they continued for many days and, finally, the neighbors began to make their lives. Here came the worst: several missiles in broad sunlight hit civilian targets and claimed the lives of people who had nothing to do with the war. One of those missiles hit a supermarket. Three people died, including a child.

Once again, the inhabitants of Mykolaiv began to be saved. It was then that Valerie called Eugene and told him that they couldn't go to the supermarket, that shopping was already too dangerous. Eugene told him to leave town, that he would go and find them, that he would get them a house in Odessa, but to leave. Valerie didn't want to, no one in her family wanted to. “This is our house. Why would we have to leave? ”, he said, he says, he will always say.

Eugene understood it. That's when he decided to do the shopping himself and take it with him. The mission posed the danger of Ukraine's routes, not only exposing itself to going through infinite checkpoints, but also entering the hot zone, one of the many cities in Ukraine where anti-aircraft alarms are always followed by effective bombardments. And besides, artillery: the southern front is too active, and mortars and cross shootings take the lives of soldiers every day.

Eugene didn't care about the risk. He cannot join the army because he has a leg without bending, with an iron plate that makes many movements impossible, but his day-to-day life is as hectic as any forehead. And we see him in the first person as we walk him to Valerie's house.

Just taking the route to the east changes the landscape. At the first checkpoint it takes us 45 minutes. They check documents many times, make calls, ask us questions, look at our social networks, those in the middle. Finally, they let us go. The following checks will be faster but just as strict. Thirty kilometers later, coming from the east (from Mykolaiv) towards Odessa, we crossed the first caravan of evacuation buses. They are green and full of people who decided to leave the city. Some will stay in Odessa, others will take a train there to Lviv, to try to leave the country. Leaving Ukraine for all of us here is turning off the risk function. No one wants to be exposed to the possibility of a bombing for so many days in a row, but some choose to leave and others to stay.

Fifty kilometers after leaving Odessa we began to see military tanks. Some go overland, others are taken by truck to the front. We do not take photos or videos of any of them, at this point it is not only a danger to raise the camera but also irresponsibility: no document showing Ukrainian positions or strategic equipment should be published.

They also pass us military trucks, civilian vehicles with militias inside, police cars. Later, more evacuation buses leaving; and already entering the city, a huge line of private cars leaving. Many of them have a sign affixed to the windshield that says, “Children.” It's a way to warn whoever you cross paths that boys are traveling there.

After passing the last checkpoint to enter the center of Mykolaiv, the city changes. You no longer see lines of cars or trucks or movement. Inside, far from the edges, the true phantasmagorical life begins. There are some neighbors walking, residents going to an open market. There are mostly older people. Eventually a car stopped in a corner and three adults talking around. But there is no rhythm of the city.

Almost 500 thousand inhabitants live in Mykolaiv. More than 100 thousand have already left. Its main street at the south end continues towards Kherson. Today it is blocked and, from that side, the bombardments that drain the city arrive. If you go a few kilometers in that direction you encounter one of the most active battlefronts in all of Ukraine. That is why Mykolaiv is considered in Odessa as its guardian angel, the last barrier before the onslaught on the pearl of the black sea. In fact, the citizens of the area enlisted by the army are now sent to this area to strengthen their defenses. Yesterday the Russian forces bombed and destroyed the port, they continue to launch attacks from the air, but they fail to break the barrier by land.

Mykolaiv is proud and resists. Valerie, who is 24 years old and is a civil engineer, also resists with her. After crossing the city, we arrived at his house, on the outskirts, in a neighborhood lying on the coast. From there you can hear the bombings every day. A lot more every night, according to him. His niece is four years old. When Eugene arrives, the first thing he does is give him some toys that he bought him along with food. She smiles and hugs him. Only then does the food begin to come down.

Valerie's mother takes her hand and thanks her. Valerie doesn't say anything, but she looks at him with the most loving silence I ever knew. Eugene, who is all muscular and looks like a metal man, smiles back, he looks happy to have helped her.

There's not much else to this story. Eugene will return to Odessa quietly, we don't know what their relationship will continue in. Valerie will spend the night at the shelter, waiting for everything to happen. Only a few days later these lines will be published. Before, Eugene had to help other people and preferred that we wait. He finally gave the “OK”. They're both fine, both of them and yours. Mykolaiv resists. Who knows how long that's what life is all about.

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