By Iryna Nazarchuk
VYLKOVE, Ukraine (Reuters) – In a town without basements, residents of Ukraine’s “Venice” on the Danube have no way to hide underground from the increasingly frequent Russian drone attacks on the country’s river and deep sea ports.
Vylkove, a small tourist and resort town, sits at the mouth of the Danube, and like in Italy’s Venice, canals replace roads and boats replace cars for local residents.
The only way to avoid drone attacks is to shoot them down, say border guards, who are constantly training.
Ukraine has said Russia is deliberately hitting port infrastructure and commercial vessels in an effort to disrupt Ukrainian food exports, key to millions of people in northern Africa and the Middle East.
The attacks have intensified dramatically over the past week and Vylkove is often in the path of drones.
Pickup trucks with machine guns, assault rifles, searchlights and thermal imaging cameras help fight off attacks, said a former computer teacher, now a soldier with the call sign IT.
“In general, we also have training every day. This also includes training and physical exercises, as well as preparing weapons, preparing vehicles, checking all systems to ensure that everything works as it should, in good condition,” he said.
Anger towards Russia, which invaded Ukraine in February 2022, guides the soldiers’ actions, he said.
“Otherwise, there are no emotions at all. So we just have to do our job and that’s it. Emotions come later,” IT said.
Drone attacks usually begin in the dark, when black drones cannot be seen in the night sky.
Without a basement to hide in, Yulia Kapitan, the owner of the Delta Hotel, protects her child by covering her with her own body on the bed.
“I say to her, “Milana, shh, shh, shh, shh,” so that the child is not so much frightened. There’s a bright flash, the lights go out, this explosion, the sound of the explosion. It’s forever memorising what your eyes saw in that moment.”
