in a host family in Toulouse, Liudmyla Zolotarova testifies
“We lived under pressure from the Russians.” Liudmyla Zolotarova arrived in France on May 23, 2022. After three months of ordeal under Russian occupation, the Ukrainian tells The Independent Opinion comment on the war in ukraine settled in his city of Kherson, in the east of the country. She also talks about the life she has led since joining the Orchester National du Capitole de Toulouse as a violinist.
February 24 in Kherson, on the borders of Crimea
Like most Ukrainians, Liudmyla Zolotarova woke up on the morning of Thursday, February 24 with the dreaded news: the Russia invaded Ukraine. Bombings and shootings take place in the cities in the east of the country and Liudmyla lives in Kherson, on the borders of Crimea. It is first of all the erasure for the Ukrainian:
We Ukrainians don’t believe in this war they started. We were stunned by this news. Because when I got up in the morning, my husband told me that war had been declared. I didn’t believe it at all. It was by watching the news that we realized that it was true. But we had no idea what to do.”
The russian troops very quickly arrived in Kherson. From the same evening, the Ukrainian remembers the sound of bombs and shootings on the side of the Dnieper river, which borders the city. “The Russian soldiers arrived from the side of the bridge and the fighting lasted all night. We were terrified. We wanted to take refuge in an underground shelter, but it was too dangerous,” she says. And to add: “we could enter it, but if the building collapsed, we would have been blocked”.
Two weeks of anti-Russian protests in Kherson
Russian troops quickly moved into the city. But the Ukrainians did not want to let it go at first and demonstrations were organized every day for two weeks. Liudmyla explains: “At first they were intimidated by us because we were strong. And we told them to leave: this is not your country, we don’t need help from the Nazis. Why are you here? ?”.
But that was short-lived, as Russian soldiers began using tear gas on protesters. “They even threatened us: if we went back to protest, they would use tear gas every time. So we stopped. Because it was dangerous,” laments the violinist.
The opportunity to leave from Kherson
Soon, Liudmyla Zolotarova found herself out of work because “the orchestra could no longer pay its musicians”. A violinist with the Kherson Regional Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra, she found a job in a dairy manufacturing factory. She remembered: “I bottled the milk, I cut the cheese, I prepared it for the buyer. I was up for 6 hours and it was very hard”.
Currently, Liudmyla is without her husband, daughter or grandchildren. All remained in Ukraine. Her daughter in particular did not wish to leave the country because her husband had been mobilized by the Ukrainian army. Then, Liudmyla is contacted by a Bulgarian friend who offers her to go to France and work in an orchestra. “Why not?” she said to herself. She then exchanged with Anna Stavychenko, the deputy director of the Kyiv Symphony Orchestra. The latter has found refuge in France since the conflict and has become an agent for Ukrainian musicians in France.
Five days to come to Toulouse
After these few exchanges with Anna Stavychenko, Liudmyla Zolotarova finally learned that she could go to Toulouse. She had a place as a violinist with the Orchester national du Capitole. The musician was to start on May 24, five days after she learned of this opportunity. “But I only had five days to come. But it was not possible to leave my city like that,” she says.
She then took the bus from Kherson to Crimea. She then headed to Vladikavkaz in Russia to catch another bus to Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia. From there she flew to Istanbul in Turkey. And her four-day trip ended in Toulouse, France. All without knowing where she was headed.
Two months of contract in Toulouse
All that Liudmyla knew was the time of her contract in Toulouse and that she would be with another Ukrainian: Yevgeniia Atamas, from the Kyiv Symphony Orchestra. Both find refuge in the ranks of the Toulouse orchestra until July 26. “I feel at ease and comfortable here. At the level of the orchestra, they are very kind towards me. They help me all the time whenever I need anything. I feel welcomed in Toulouse “, says Liudmyla.
The Ukrainian also gets along very well with her host family. Clémence and her family took all the steps from the start of the conflict to be able to welcome Ukrainians into their home. Without news for a few months, she finally learned three days before Liudmyla’s arrival that her request had been accepted.
I don’t feel that the arrival of Liudmyla has changed anything in our lives. She gets along very well with the children and I also have the little one who asks for her every day when she leaves the nursery. ” A statement joined by the violinist: “We talk together all the time. They are about the same age as my grandchildren”. If at first she was embarrassed to eat and depend on Clémence and her husband, she now gets along very well with them. They trust each other.
And after ?
The question then arises, what to do after July 26th? Should she return to Ukraine? What are her options if she stays in France? The prospects are discussed with Anna Stavychenko:
Anna told me that she was working with Yevgeniia Atamas and me to get us another contract in September, for the next season. We hope that she will find us a new contract with another orchestra.”
But out of the question for the violinist to wait for September without doing anything. Currently, Liudmyla is looking for a job, maybe in a pastry shop. She unfortunately does not speak French but knows how to get by in English.
News from Kherson
The Ukrainian has been in Toulouse for a month. She talks about her husband, her daughter and her grandchildren, but also the situation in her hometown. Because contrary to the images of Mariupol and other completely destroyed cities, Kherson is not yet damaged by the fighting. The houses are surrounded by Ukrainian troops trying to recover the city. According to Liudmyla, the Russians are everywhere and seem to stay. Liudmyla mentions changes:
Fighting continues around Kherson, less in the city. They haven’t destroyed the city yet, they haven’t left yet. On Friday, July 1, the ruble will become the compulsory currency in Kherson. Then, all workers in hospitals or shops must work like Russians. Another example, newborns in hospitals get the Russian passport from birth. But we are not Russians, we are Ukrainians.”