Minute by minute: Russians try to encircle Ukrainian troops in the east, Poland expels dozens of Russian diplomats – Dennik N

The Ukrainian ski resort of Bukovel is a luxurious shelter from bombs, according to a report in the French daily Le Monde. In the center in the west of the country least affected by the war, there is a richer clientele who do not want to survive the war in Polish refugee camps. Diana, who is 24 years old, works at the reception of Hotel Hvoja, which is one of about one hundred local hotels. The day before the Russian invasion, she went to a snowboard after work, the slopes are always open and lit until midnight. The next day, February 24, a crowd stormed the hotel lobby, panic ensued, suitcases opened and closed, people pushed, threw room keys at the reception desk, and there was only one message from all the phones – the war had begun. Immediately, all 250 rooms were empty, as were the streets, parking lots and other hotels. People canceled reservations en masse. In a few days, however, everything was different, luxury cars such as Porsche or BMW were waiting in the columns. Those who fled returned quickly. During the weekend of March 5, there were about 5,000 cars in the resort, most of them with a Kiev license plate. Most of them are people who came to the resort to ski once or twice, because they preferred to go to Austria or France. However, they were introduced to the idea of ​​coming here by friends or acquaintances who were already there. “The really rich are long gone and I don’t see myself in a refugee camp in Poland,” says one woman. Diana at the hotel reception assures guests that they will not close. He also calls her husband, who is a doctor near Kharkov. He tells her about eleven raped women, of whom only five have survived. “We’re lucky,” he says, but adds that he’s ashamed of it. Former district of the communist elite The story of the Bukovel resort is a reflection of part of Ukrainian history. Before the year 2000, it was a forgotten, slightly wooded mountainous area, where a mobile shop came once a week. In Soviet times, it used to be a hunting ground of the communist elite. In 2003, however, the place began to change into a resort based on the western ones, creating 75 kilometers of slopes and three artificial lakes. The investor is a prominent Ukrainian oligarch. Everyone seems to know who he is, but no one dares say his name, writes the author of the report. Among the accommodated are several successful entrepreneurs and managers. Dmytryj Borodin ran the Grand Inflatable Boats factory in Kharkov. His wife’s bombing of the cosmetics company’s material warehouse, he has no news about the condition of his factory. Borodin spontaneously began to speak Russian, as he had become accustomed to during his business in Kharkov, which is strongly tied to Moscow. After a while, however, he realizes and claims that he will only speak Ukrainian. Most of his friends are from Russia, but they don’t call him now. “We asked very politely and calmly how they were doing. But now we don’t exist for them as if we were dead, “added his wife Valentyna. Being in the sauna is “anti-patriotic” The cable cars are not in operation, the speakers provide instructions and regulations on night curfews and alcohol bans. Some hotels have left swimming pools and saunas open, but they are empty. Going there would be “anti-patriotic,” one woman says, and she goes to the pharmacy, where she hopes to get sedatives. The day before, they were sold out. Since the beginning of the war, representatives of large hotels have met every morning for a joint crisis meeting. Local hotels have sent funds to the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense. At the same time, some contributions are larger than sent by European countries, says one of the hoteliers. The tourist information center in the center has a new use – they set up a branch there to pay voluntary contributions to the state defense. They accept all credit cards there and boards are formed at the door. (Thu, the world)