Ukrainians flood village to stop Russian advance on Kyiv
A local rides a bicycle past a bomb crater, as Russia’s attack on Ukraine continues, in the village of Demydiv, outside Kyiv, Ukraine, on April 6. (Reuters)
As the Russian invasion of Ukraine continues even after two months, the citizens of Ukraine have taken it upon themselves to stem Vladimir Putin’s army in any way possible, sometimes taking extreme measures.
While Ukrainian citizens were first seen taking up arms and even standing up on Russian tanks to stop their advance, they later took the extreme decision of intentionally flooding villages leading to the capital, Kyiv, for a “tactical victory”.
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According to a The New York Times report, the move by the residents of Demydiv, a village to the north of Kyiv, thwarted a Russian tank assault and bought the Ukrainian army precious time to prepare its defences.
The villagers seemingly channelled water from the Dnipro river to the east and flooded the area, causing significant damage to the settlement. However, they proudly said that the strategic benefits of the move by far outweighed their hardships.
“Everybody understands and nobody regrets it for a moment,” Antonina Kostuchenko, a retiree whose living room is now filled with water, was quoted as saying. “We saved Kyiv,” another resident piped in.
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The flooding of the village has been very effective as it created a big and shallow lake in front of the Russian armoured columns.
The flooding was crucial for Ukraine’s fight against Russia in March, as its army pushed back Russian attempts to surround Kyiv and eventually drove the Russians into retreat. The shallow lake created an effective barrier for tanks and made ambushes easier in the outlying towns of Hostomel, Bucha, and Irpin.
Demydiv is not the only place that took self-destructive measures to stop the Russian assault. Ukraine has previously destroyed infrastructure, such as bridges, to stop Russian forces’ advance.
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