The LTV film crew accompanied Ukrainian soldiers to the city of Sudzha in the Kursk region, which is located near the Ukrainian border.
The Russian residents they met there appeared relatively indifferent to the war, claiming they did not know much about the war going on next door in Ukraine.
Ukrainian forces emphasize that the areas under their control are free from the mass looting, destruction and killing of civilians that typified the Russian forces invading Ukraine.
The LTV film crew was accompanied by Ukrainian soldiers, and for security reasons the visit was undertaken in an armored car. At the same time, there was no censorship or rules on what to say or how to talk to the locals. The only request is not to film soldiers, equipment and any specific places in the city.
LTV's Ina Strazdiņa reports:
"It's loud and hot. We are in an armored personnel carrier together with Ukrainian soldiers. Through the small side windows, you can only roughly guess where we are. The border is approaching, beyond which is the territory of the enemy – the Kursk region.
And then the Russian border is here. Vulnerable and open.
"We are in Russia, now we are in Russia," says Ukrainian soldier Vadim Misnik, who accompanies the LTV film crew.
We have entered Russia, the territory currently controlled by Ukrainian troops, and are approaching the city of Sudzha. A few kilometers pass quickly and we are already in the center of Sudzha.
An unusual silence is the first thing that characterizes this place, followed by distant gunshots. You have to take cover behind the wall for a moment, because you can hear the whistles of a projectile. And only then can you move on.
It is evident there has been fighting here. Shot buildings, rubble on the asphalt, broken trees typical of battles. Ukrainian soldiers say that most of the damage was caused by the firing of the Russian army itself. The Lenin monument in the city center was destroyed by Russian drones, the Ukrainians say they did not touch it.
We are currently in the very center of Sudzha, and the atmosphere here is very unusual, strange. There is a feeling that something could happen at any moment. At the moment, even if Ukrainian soldiers are here, Russia is of course watching this territory and firing with shells and with drones.
Be careful when walking. Do not touch anything. Explosives can be everywhere.
"We are not here to destroy," emphasizes Ukrainian soldier Vadim Misnik. Here's a hair salon. We have not touched anything here, as Russia robbed and stole from us. Everything has remained in place. Ukrainian soldiers are not like that, we respect international laws. Mirrors are intact. You see, the TV is all that's left. Our soldiers have not taken anything. Here, everything is in its place."
Misnik also shows the Second World War memorial site, which was damaged by shelling.
"Of course, Ukrainian soldiers adhere to the traditions of honoring heroes. Ukrainians also took part in the Second World War, and many died. And we respect our ancestors who fought hand in hand against fascism. But now our Ukrainian forces are fighting against 'rushism' [Russian fascism]," says Misnik.
The Ukrainian army has established a temporary administration in Sudzha, which also supplies the local population with water, food and medicine.
A local resident, Ludmila, says she wants the war to end but does not apportion blame to Vladimir Putin for starting it, blaming "politics" instead. Another local, Natalija, also says she wishes for peace but says she does not know who started the war. Other locals say they are simply powerless and have nothing to do with politics. The general picture is of apathy, resignation and an assumption that central government does everything and cannot be questioned.
How many of Sudzha's 6,000 former inhabitants remain in the city is not clearly known. However, those who remain spend their days in or near basements, as drones and missiles fly from their own side, the Russian army.
Conversations with local residents are interrupted by a warning from a Ukrainian soldier: "Let's go inside, inside, inside!"
Our companion, Vadim Misnik, explains: "We have received a signal that a group of combat attack drones is coming our way, so we have to go to the bomb shelter to wait." Two hours later, the all clear is sounded.
It is still hard to believe that nothing was known about what is happening in Ukraine here. Are the people living here really so deeply in the power of Russian propaganda and uncritically trusting it?
Ukrainian soldiers bring water, medicine, food to the locals. They sit on the benches during the day, talk, they have also shown pictures and videos of the atrocities of the Russian army in Ukraine, which is news to many here, because, as they said, they did not know anything, although they are only 9 kilometers from the border with Ukraine."
