Crossing the Ukrainian countryside at the controls of his locomotive, Sergei Berezensky cannot forget the war and the bad news. Like that of the Friday, April 8 bombing of the Kramatorsk station, ” capital “ Donbass, used for the evacuation of civilian populations from the region and hit by Russian rockets. According to initial figures, the attack left at least 50 dead, including five children, and more than 100 injured.
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Sergueï Berezenski glances to the right, to the left, concentrating, observing here a new casemate of soldiers, there a sign “watch out for mines”, further on the charred remains of petrol storage tanks. “ We fear the saboteurs “, specifies this railwayman with eyes surrounded by sleepless nights. All teams have been instructed to be particularly vigilant. So they watch everything: passengers, abnormal details along the tracks, walkers.
No electronic devices on board
Sergueï Berezenski and his assistant Andreï Youdenko pilot in the direction of kyiv a venerable machine without heating which runs at an average speed of 80 km/h. No electronic device on board: you have to change the paper that records the trip data by hand. The machine came out of Soviet factories in 1979. At the time, railway workers were an elite, well paid, pampered by the regime. Workers, tough on evil, who formed a corporation united by round trips in all seasons and at all hours away from home.
Since the end of the USSR, the family has suffered. The debt has widened, the profession no longer pays. After twenty-two years of career, Sergueï Berezenski touches around 500 € per month: less than a taxi driver. Most drivers hold a second job to make ends meet. “When I started, it was an honorable and envied profession, he remembers, one hand on the brake, another on the accelerator. Today, young people no longer want to hear about it. It is difficult to rejuvenate the teams. »
A high-speed escape machine
The war, however, gave a second life to the company with its dusty image, which the State had resolved in August 2021 to place under provisional administration because of its disastrous management. On the first day of the invasion, she was able to metamorphose into a high-speed escape machine. In three weeks, 3.5 million inhabitants were evacuated from the threatened cities of kyiv, Kharkiv, Mykolaiv, Mariupol, to the west of the country. A speed race which mobilized the teams to the breaking point.
Stopping at a train station in Ukraine during the war. / Ty ONeil/SOPA Images/SIPA
Youry Lanzevsky and his assistant Vitaliy Pusnyak will remember all their lives that February 25, when their train rushed from the kyiv station under Russian bombs, the cars full to bursting with terrified refugees. “In these cases, you don’t have time to be afraid, he confides. We are focused on our task, praying that a shell does not come and destroy the power lines. » The duo say they worked 35 hours non-stop at the start of the invasion.
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Extreme conditions, even for them who are used to chaining ten hours of driving in a row. They quickly stuffed a sandwich on top of the gray dashboard. They closed their eyes for a few minutes when stopping at the station. So many endless journeys between kyiv and Lviv passing through the center of the country. “When I needed to wake up, I would throw water in my face, mime Youry Lanzevsky. In these cases, you are very stressed because you have no room for error, but we had no choice. It’s the war. I would have worked even for free. Everyone is mobilizing in their own way. »
Change in the way people look
According to him, there is nothing heroic about driving a train under the threat of bombardment. However, he notes a change in the way people look. Thanks at the station. The hugs on the dock. These small hand signals to railway workers who already counted, on April 7, 77 killed and 83 injured in their ranks.
Tested by fire, the Ukrainians have rediscovered the importance of the 231,000 employees who operate the 22,000 km of track (compared to 28,000 in France). “We found a little of our pride through the eyes of people. Let’s hope it lasts.” concedes Youry Lanzevsky on returning to the station.
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At the head of this rail cohort, there is a 37-year-old administrator who stands out in the middle: Oleksander Kamyshin. With his shaved temples, his black hair held back in a bun and his goatee-trimmed beard, the man looks like the old Cossack celebrated by Ukrainian culture. Before being appointed boss of the railways, in August 2021, this entrepreneur who managed investment funds and owns a 10,000 hectare farm wore a three-piece suit. From now on, he likes fleeces, hiking pants and trainers that he stuffs in his bag when he travels.
Orders are given by telephone
Twice a day, the chief railway worker meets with his staff in the command center. From there, it can communicate with 1,500 stations through a closed communication system that dates back to the USSR. According to him, it’s safer than the telephone or the Internet.
An exhausted Ukrainian railroad worker on a wartime commute. / Ty ONeil/SOPA Images/SIPA
Its teams thus inform it of recent destruction. “The railway is a target, he explains, showing the images of devastated stations. More than 8,000 of our infrastructures were damaged. Povlograd station was hit for the first time one morning. We fixed it overnight. Then she was targeted the next day. And we started work again. »
To gain in efficiency, the company abandoned its cumbersome administrative procedures. Orders are given by telephone, and everyone makes their decisions locally. “There are three surprises in this war, souligne Oleksander Kamyshin. Our president, our army and the mobilization of public companies, especially ours. » In one month, Ukrzaliznytsia workers repaired more kilometers of power lines than in ten years.
“The Iron Economy”
As the war dragged on, the boss of the railway workers set himself new objectives. The evacuations of the inhabitants are almost complete, with the exception of the last towns of Donbass which are under threat of encirclement by the Russian army. From now on, here he is launched in another battle, even more complex which he names “the iron economy” : increase the capacity of freight trains in order to evacuate by rail the millions of tons of cereals which cannot leave the Ukrainian ports because of the Russian blockade. “We must multiply our capacities by 100”, he assures.
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According to him, neighboring countries have begun to increase the capacity of Ukrainian trains. Health procedures with Poland have been simplified. The Ukrainian company is also in close contact with its German counterpart, Deutsche Bahn. Holland has promised to deliver two freight trains. “It would take a hundred times more”, insists Oleksander Kamyshin, raising his voice. After five weeks of war, he had still not received a call from the SNCF: « We will do our part of the job. Europeans to do the same. »
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More than 11 million Ukrainian refugees or displaced
Number of refugees: more than 4.3 million Ukrainian refugees have fled their country since the invasion ordered by Russia on February 24, according to figures from the High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
Women and children represent 90% of those who fled Ukraine. The Ukrainian authorities do not authorize the departure of men of military age.
Number of displaced: the UN estimates that 7.1 million the number of displaced people who have found refuge elsewhere than at home inside the country, figures established by the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
In total, more than 11 million people therefore had to leave their homes, more than a quarter of the population.
Conversely, more than 537,000 Ukrainians have made their way back home, according to the UNHCR.