A year ago, Ukrainian forces destroyed a dam near the village of Demydiv, about 35 kilometers (35 kilometers) north of Kyiv, in a bid to stop Russia from advancing to take control of the capital. The village was flooded. Ivan Kukulza, 69, still has no water in his basement, and his patience is running out.

“I want the water level to drop by half. Tanks still won’t be able to get through here,” Kukurza told AFP.

Ukrainian authorities have not responded, fearing that Russia will invade again from its ally Belarus.

Residents procured drainage pumps themselves, but they were not very effective. The pump Kukurza bought for his home also broke due to the winter cold.

Although he received 20,000 hryvnia (about 73,000 yen) in compensation from the government, nothing has changed in the fact that Kukurza’s basement is still submerged in large amounts of ice-cold water.

Living in a wet, swamp-like place is difficult, but she says she has no intention of moving.

■Residents’ hardships

According to Demidiv village chief Volodymyr Podkulgany, the government has offered relocation to dozens of residents of Demidiv and surrounding areas whose homes were damaged by the floods, but so far not a single person has accepted the offer.

The village chief said the original goal was to defend Kiew. The military then blew up the cut-off wall of a water storage dam near Kiv, causing millions of liters of water to flow into the Irpin River, causing it to flood.

The area around the river turned into a swamp, slowing the Russian army’s progress toward Kiev, and allowing the Ukrainian army to regroup and launch a counterattack.

Strategically it was a success. However, residents were affected. “200 homes were flooded. It’s clear that the residents suffered as a result of this operation,” the village chief said. “I can also show you the pile of petitions I’ve received asking for something to be done.”

However, some people want things to stay as they are.

Environmentalists say allowing the river to flow as it is would help restore the ecosystem in the area, which was a vast wetland before being drained during the Soviet era.

■“Back to paradise”

Valentina Osipova, 77, also noticed a dramatic change in the ecosystem in her garden.

The fields where berries and cauliflower were grown no longer exist. Instead, beavers took up residence last summer. He says he has “made friends” with a beaver basking in the sun in his garden.

The sound of running drainage pumps now echoes in Demi Diu’s quiet rural landscape. But Osipova hasn’t given up hope.

“Once all the water is drained and the land returns to its original state, it will be a paradise again.” (c)AFP/Thibault MARCHAND