A statue of the poet Taras Shevchenko stands in a square in the southern Ukrainian city of Bashtanka. The square is across from a scorched shopping center hit by a Russian missile. A few steps away is the destroyed Town Hall, also under artillery fire.
From our correspondent – Bashtanka is a small town inhabited by 10,000 people before the war. The aggression belongs to those that have changed a lot. There are now about as many civilians on the streets as there are soldiers, with sirens going off several times a day warning him of a possible missile attack, and explosions and gunshots echoing in the distance.
Bastanka is close to the front line in the Kherson region, where Ukrainian forces launched their long-awaited offensive on Monday. We arrived here with special permission from the Ministry of Defense for our coverage trip through Ukraine. Foreigners cannot move here without the accompaniment of the Ukrainian military.
The local bakery has only wooden paneling in place of bombed-out windows, so you can’t see the pastries and sweets on offer from the outside. However, there are tables outside where soldiers enjoy croissants, hot dogs, or cakes in peaceful moments.
Here I found a Ukrainian in uniform. He is also a bit Czech in his hometown. Denis Holoďjuk speaks excellent Czech, having worked in the Czech Republic building forests and bridges.
“I used to live in Pilsen. I also lived in Prague 8 for a while, but the capital didn’t really appeal to me. I love Pilsen.” I have been told.
i want to beat the bastard
But instead of Pilsen, he is now from the town of Kamenets-Podolski in Bastans and is up front. “I’m in charge of logistical operations, supplies. I command about 20 people and fetch goods and supplies from the front lines. I’ve been attacked several times. Well, for that matter, It feels silly,” explains Denise. According to him, the soldiers could not wait to attack Kherson. “We want to move forward, we want our country back, we want to beat that bastard Putin,” he gestured in front of the bakery.
Report from Ukraine
Photo: Aktuálně.cz
Aktuálněcz reporters Martin Novák and Jakub Plíhal have traveled the Ukrainian Southern Front for half a year since the beginning of the Russian invasion, and have brought the photo gallery directly from the site. We have already published:
Before the war, he worked as a truck driver in Ukraine. “I celebrated his 30th birthday on February 23. The day after I was supposed to be traveling by truck, the war started and I went to the army,” says Dennis. .
Initially deployed in the north near the Belarusian border. When the Russians withdrew from there, he was transferred to the south near the occupied Kherson area. Denis also keeps track of events in the Czech Republic and knows that he has collected over 4 billion crowns for the Czechs to help Ukraine in several collections. “I am very happy about it, and I can say that I am proud of the Czech Republic. I have to,” he added.
Next, Oleh Zylinskyj, a soldier sitting next to us, joined our conversation. He says he doesn’t speak Czech, but he understood most of what we were saying. “We all know that the Czech Republic is one of the countries that helps us the most, and we guarantee that we will never forget it.”
He then picks up a mobile phone, showing that a Russian column with the letter Z on an armored car has tried and failed to break through the Bashtanka. “That’s their result. We’ll win everywhere,” he said briefly, lighting a cigarette.
His colleague Dennis Holoeyuk is also clear about how he envisions the future.
