Central Ukraine’s rural villagers unaffected by war afraid of spillover

SUPYNA, Ukraine - While the southern and eastern parts of the country are locked in conflict and the northern side saw significant damage at the hands of Russian troops, villagers in central Ukraine live an ordinary life, unlike everyone else.

Roman Baranenko, his wife, and their two little children are all collectively involved in farming and raising sheep - their only sources of livelihood.

Unlike many other Ukrainians, this family and others who live in the village of Supyna, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, have not yet heard the sound of the emergency siren, nor have their comfort zone been disturbed by the hovering of Russian warplanes or airstrikes, but they are afraid that the flames of war may spill over to their doorsteps at some point unless this war ends.

"We currently feel secure here. However, the situation does not seem very good in the city [Dnipropetrovsk]. We do panic and we hope the Russian forces will not reach here,” Baranenko told Rudaw.

Ukraine's fertile land has made way for villagers to stick to their rural life, making a living out of farming and raising livestock.

According to the Ukrainian government's data, the country was able to only export 923,000 tons of wheat in April 2022, down from 2.8 million tons during the same time period last year, due to Russia's incursion.

The United Nations estimates that nearly 3,000 civilians have been killed and at least 3,200 injured across Ukraine since the war began in February.

Cameraman: Ahmed Younus