Saturday 5 March
In the morning, people start going to Freedom Square. Russian machine-gunners stand on the perimeter. Then people see soldiers dragging a detained man on the ground. Protesters jump over a road barrier and recapture the detainee.
The gunners in front of the state administration building fire a warning shot. But people are not afraid, there are crowds of protesters of all ages. They have come with posters that say “Kherson is Ukraine”, they shout “Putin motherfukker”, “Russian ship, go fukk yourself”.
But among the crowd, men in dark clothes are wandering, with hoods, hiding their faces, recording those who are at the rally. One even hisses “Nazi pigs”.
A friend of ours, a doctor, spends the night at work. Kherson women give birth even in bomb shelters: last night, two babies were born.