The border
Officially, there are no humanitarian corridors to escape the Kherson region, occupied by Russia at the end of February. People migrate to the territory controlled by Ukraine through the partly occupied Zaporizhzhia region. But that road is constantly getting shelled, and it is not rare that the refugees trying to escape Kherson are killed. There is another way to evacuate — to Russia or to Europe through Crimea. This route is considered somewhat safe. There is bus traffic between Crimea and the Kherson region, though one has to buy a ticket in advance on a website. The passengers are required to share their ID data to purchase the tickets.
One can enter the Kherson region from Russia by car, however, I called several insurance companies and all of them refused to insure a car upon learning where I was planning to go. On the occupied territory, no insurance policy is enforced — neither Russian, nor Ukrainian, nor any insurance for foreign trips.
Long before we reach the border checkpoint, we get stuck in traffic full of grain carriers with licence number plates from Russia’s regions of Krasnodar, Adygea, Rostov; Ukrainian ones are a rare case. They are being driven to Ukraine and back — hundreds of trucks. I notice a rusty and lifeless grain elevator that probably has not been used in a long time as we go past the town of Krasnoperekopsk.
“They said on TV that there was no longer a border between Russia and the Russian part of the Kherson region”, my relative from the region triumphantly informed me. “Come. You can even leave your passport at home.”
At the border checkpoint in Armyansk, there is a long car queue: all the licence plates belong to residents of Crimea and the Kherson region. Russian border guards thoroughly check every vehicle, sometimes, they even disassemble car doors and look under the rubber mats and demand all to provide all items for inspection. And they use mirrors to check the bottom of the car. Police officers with dogs are also on site, they inspect every vehicle, too. Waiting in the queue can take an entire day, but we got lucky — our inspection lasted three hours only.