Bay Harbour: July 05, 2023

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Bay Harbour News Wednesday July 5 2023 6 NEWS Latest Canterbury news at starnews.co.nz Building a life in Lyttelton after Oleksandr Stoliarov fled Russian-occupied Kherson in southern Ukraine last year. Now he is settling into a new life with his son. Dylan Smits reports A UKRAINIAN university teacher who lived through the Russian occupation of his city has found a new home in Lyttelton. Oleksandr Stoliarov (right), a 69-year-old university teacher, was going about his normal life until Russian troops occupied the city of Kherson. With a pre-war population of 280,000, the port city’s capture was a significant victory for Russia. Stoliarov now lives with his son Max Stoliarov in Lyttelton. Stoliarov said his life in Kherson before the occupation “was very good”. “But when the war started, living in Kherson became impossible.” Cut off from supply chains, food and medicine shortages became the norm in the city. “People were really struggling to find specialist medicine. There were long queues everywhere,” Stoliarov said. Before the troops rolled in, he had seen and heard the rumours Russia was planning to invade Kherson but did not truly believe them. The Russians faced little military resistance in the city after the Ukrainian forces retreated to more defendable territory. They had occupied it a week after the war started on March 1 last year. The Russians immediately took control of the media and internet, Stoliarov said. “Russia started to suppress all the information sources and provide only their point of view on everything. “So if you wanted to get the real news, you had to be a bit sneaky.” The night the Russian convoys entered PHOTOS: DYLAN SMITS the city, a group of civilians armed with molotov cocktails tried to ambush them. Stoliarov said the locals waited behind some trees in a park. They aimed to take the soldiers by surprise in the dark and burn their vehicles. But the Russians could see them through their night-vision. “They just killed them all in that park, without people even having a chance to do anything. There was 18 people there. They didn’t allow anyone to take bodies. They had to lie there for weeks. They use it as a sign of threatening others of what will happen if you resist,” Stoliarov said. Yet the people of Kherson did resist, he said. The Russian presence within the city was light for the first two months of the occupation. Stoliarov said his daily routine at the university continued, while the Russian soldiers mainly stuck to the outskirts of the city. Pro-Ukrainian activists seized the opportunity and organised peaceful street protests against the occupation. Stoliarov watched the protests online through street cameras. A small contingent of Russian soldiers stood in the main square as protestors shouted pro-Ukrainian slogans. Stoliarov said after the Ukrainian revolution in 2014 – which culminated in the ousting of elected President Viktor Yanukovych and the pro-Russian government – Ukrainians “chose the European way”. He said the people of Kherson do not want to join Russia. “Russia has just been ripped back to Soviet times in all aspects of their lives.” Their protests continued until May last year when the Russians tightened their grip on the city. What’s our future, Canterbury? HELP US PLAN FOR THE FUTURE OF OUR COMMUNITIES AND THE ENVIRONMENT. Over the next few months we will be asking you to share your feedback and thoughts on air, land and water, our coast, built environment, and climate change. Do we have the balance right, are we doing too much or not enough? Tell us what you think at ecan.govt.nz/ourfuture E23/8415
Wednesday July 5 2023 Bay Harbour News Latest Canterbury news at starnews.co.nz NEWS 7 escaping war-ravaged Ukraine “They harshly resolved one of the protests using guns and grenades,” Stoliarov said. The Russians started arresting political activists, police officers and anyone who had worked for the government. “Their destinies are unknown. Many of them are still missing.” The Russians introduced an 8pm to 6am curfew and constructed posts throughout Kherson which were manned by soldiers. Stoliarov hoped the Ukrainian troops would retake the city quickly. But as the months dragged on, he decided to come to New Zealand. He left in September. By then the conditions in the city had worsened significantly since the crackdown. “They took control over all aspects of city life. Most of the city services had been paralysed.” The occupying authorities closed banks and ATMs and forced people to pay for goods in Russian rubles. Stoliarov said this was a big factor in his decision to leave. “You couldn’t get Ukrainian currency and people didn’t want to use rubles. So basically you’re in a situation of limbo where there are rubles but no one is using them.” By the time Stoliarov left Kherson, there was only one civilian crossing point left on the southern frontline. He travelled more than 200km to reach the border crossing and waited in the queue for four days. “All those people staying in the queue, it was scorching hot. When people crossed into the grey zone, they basically left the column of civilian cars to go through then Russians just shell them,” Stoliarov said. After the ordeal, he crossed DAMAGED: Oleksandr Stoliarov fled Kherson after the Russian invasion. Left - Stoliarov now lives with his son Max in Lyttelton. the border and travelled to New Zealand. Stoliarov’s son applied for a visa which grants New Zealand residents’ Ukrainian family members a two-year stay. Ukrainian troops eventually liberated Kherson in November. Stoliarov said it was a “happy moment, but quickly it became very sore because the situation deteriorated dramatically”. He said Russian shelling made it “nearly impossible for people to stay”in the city. Stoliarov believes the Russians PHOTO: GETTY are punishing Kherson because the city opposed occupation. “The Russians, when they came into Kherson, they expected huge support. But what they saw in fact was the whole population was against them.” Stoliarov said Christchurch is a “perfect city” a he can now lead a “peaceful life”. But the after-effects of war remain. Stoliarov said when he hears “loud noises coming from the port, when a container is dropped or fire sirens go off, it always triggers feelings of shelling or airstrikes”. He is “still exploring the city, trying to walk in different directions each time and see new places”. He has been taking english classes and said his teacher is seeing improvement. He said one of the biggest surprises in New Zealand is seeing people wear shorts during winter. Stoliarov is not sure when or if he will return to Ukraine. He said the situation remains too unpredictable to at the moment. EXPORT QUALITY MEATS AT AFFORDABLE PRICES WWW.PRIMERANGEFRESH.CO.NZ 303 COLOMBO STREET, SYDENHAM MON-FRI 8:45AM-6:00PM SAT 8:45AM-5:30PM SUN 8:45AM-5:00PM Instore & Online 3 July - 9 July Since 2004, The Tree People are your Canterburyowned tree experts. Our team is focused on sustainability, and we care about what we do. You can trust us to take care of your tree needs South Island wide. Our services include all aspects of tree work: • Pruning • Storm damage • Removals • Planting • Tree transplanting • Vista management • Hedge trimming • Environmental services Call us for a FREE quote 03 384 9630 www.thetreepeople.nz
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Bay Harbour: July 05, 2023

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