Ukrainian and Russian expats wake up to horror of war between 'brother nations'
Vladimir Putin has announced a 'special military operation' on Ukraine, which is tantamount to declaring war. Many world leaders fear this could be the biggest war to shake Europe since 1945. Barely minutes after Putin's televised announcement of the war, explosions were heard near major Ukrainian cities. After 5 am Ukrainian time, explosions from artillery rockets were also seen and heard in the sky.
The declaration of war and the intense military actions have shocked nationals all over the world. Evgeny Staroselskiy, director of Russian Radio Cyprus, in Limassol city, Cyprus, talked about how fellow nationals from both countries had received the shocking and heartbreaking news of war breaking out between the two neighboring countries, often referred to as "brother nations."
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Staroselskiy is a 60-year-old native of a mainly Russian city in Eastern Ukraine that is currently being considered a 'red zone' because of the city's close proximity to the Russian border. Ukrainians living alongside fellow expats from "brother" Russia in the Mediterranean seaside town of Limassol in Cyprus were horiified when news spread about the Russian assault on their homeland. "This is the worst-case scenario we could have imagined. They are bombing all regions of Ukraine, attacking all our airports and bases," Staroselskiy said, talking about the war. "A lot of people have family on both sides of the border," he continued.
Staroselskiy also focussed on the impact and influence that Russian media has had on the masses, affecting their attitude and outlook towards their neighboring nations. "We are all brothers but we are now receiving telephone calls from some Russians who actually support this crazy (Russian President Vladimir) Putin. We are very surprised," Staroselskiy said.
A group of Russian bikers, clad in leather waistcoats with Moscow and Saint Petersburg emblazoned on the back, gathered at Limassol to try and tone the tension down. "This is all bulls**t; it's all politics. We are family," a man called Grigori said. He declined to reveal his surname to maintain his anonymity.
Cyprus is a city that largely depends on revenues from tourism which is the backbone of their economy. More than 780,000 Russian tourists visited Cyprus in 2019 before Covid struck, out of a total of some 3.9 million, making it the holiday island's second-largest market after Britain. Over 95,000 Ukrainian arrivals were registered in the same year. Tourism from Russia and Ukraine are major contributors to that income. The upset status quo between the two countries will undoubtedly affect tourism and trade from both countries in the aftermath of the war between Russia and Ukraine.