{"id":59240,"date":"2026-10-27T17:11:58","date_gmt":"2026-10-27T16:11:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.collectif-dr.com\/?post_type=reportage&p=59240"},"modified":"2026-10-27T18:08:16","modified_gmt":"2026-10-27T17:08:16","slug":"nikolai-une-vie-dans-le-donbas","status":"publish","type":"reportage","link":"https:\/\/www.collectif-dr.com\/en\/reportages\/nikolai-une-vie-dans-le-donbas\/","title":{"rendered":"Nikolai, a Life in the Donbas"},"content":{"rendered":"

In Bilytske, a mining town near Pokrovsk, Nikolai, born in 1941, looks back on a life spent in the Donbas. A former miner, he recalls the workers\u2019 protests he took part in under Soviet rule. As the fighting draws closer and evacuations begin, he must now consider leaving the town where he has spent most of his life.<\/p>\n

A Russian speaker, Nikolai wants Ukraine to win and openly expresses his opposition to Vladimir Putin. His daughter, who supports Russia, does not share his convictions. Their disagreements lead to arguments but have not broken their family bonds.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wanted Ukraine to win, and I still do. Putin is an animal. Sometimes the Russians call us their \u2018brothers\u2019. But what kind of brothers are they?\u201d<\/p>\n

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Ukraine, Bilytske, 2025-04-05. Nikolai, born in 1941, is a former miner living in Bilytske, near Pokrovsk, in the Donbas. As Russian forces approach, he recalls his involvement in miners' protests under Soviet rule and voices his opposition to Putin. His daughter, who supports Russia, shares his daily life but not his convictions. Photograph by David Tache \/ Collectif DR. Ukraine, Bilytske, 2025-04-05. Nikolai, ne en 1941, est un ancien mineur de Bilytske, pres de Pokrovsk, dans le Donbas. Alors que les forces russes se rapprochent, il evoque ses souvenirs des mobilisations ouvrieres sous le regime sovietique et son opposition a Poutine. Sa fille, favorable a la Russie, partage son quotidien mais pas ses convictions. Photographie de David Tache \/ Collectif DR<\/figcaption><\/figure>
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Ukraine, Bilytske, 2025-04-05. Nikolai, born in 1941, is a former miner living in Bilytske, near Pokrovsk, in the Donbas. As Russian forces approach, he recalls his involvement in miners' protests under Soviet rule and voices his opposition to Putin. His daughter, who supports Russia, shares his daily life but not his convictions. Photograph by David Tache \/ Collectif DR. Ukraine, Bilytske, 2025-04-05. Nikolai, ne en 1941, est un ancien mineur de Bilytske, pres de Pokrovsk, dans le Donbas. Alors que les forces russes se rapprochent, il evoque ses souvenirs des mobilisations ouvrieres sous le regime sovietique et son opposition a Poutine. Sa fille, favorable a la Russie, partage son quotidien mais pas ses convictions. Photographie de David Tache \/ Collectif DR<\/figcaption><\/figure>
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Ukraine, Bilytske, 2025-04-05. Nikolai, born in 1941, is a former miner living in Bilytske, near Pokrovsk, in the Donbas. As Russian forces approach, he recalls his involvement in miners' protests under Soviet rule and voices his opposition to Putin. His daughter, who supports Russia, shares his daily life but not his convictions. Photograph by David Tache \/ Collectif DR. Ukraine, Bilytske, 2025-04-05. Nikolai, ne en 1941, est un ancien mineur de Bilytske, pres de Pokrovsk, dans le Donbas. Alors que les forces russes se rapprochent, il evoque ses souvenirs des mobilisations ouvrieres sous le regime sovietique et son opposition a Poutine. Sa fille, favorable a la Russie, partage son quotidien mais pas ses convictions. Photographie de David Tache \/ Collectif DR<\/figcaption><\/figure>
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Ukraine, Bilytske, 2025-04-05. Nikolai, born in 1941, is a former miner living in Bilytske, near Pokrovsk, in the Donbas. As Russian forces approach, he recalls his involvement in miners' protests under Soviet rule and voices his opposition to Putin. His daughter, who supports Russia, shares his daily life but not his convictions. Photograph by David Tache \/ Collectif DR. Ukraine, Bilytske, 2025-04-05. Nikolai, ne en 1941, est un ancien mineur de Bilytske, pres de Pokrovsk, dans le Donbas. Alors que les forces russes se rapprochent, il evoque ses souvenirs des mobilisations ouvrieres sous le regime sovietique et son opposition a Poutine. Sa fille, favorable a la Russie, partage son quotidien mais pas ses convictions. Photographie de David Tache \/ Collectif DR<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/figure>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In Bilytske, a mining town near Pokrovsk, Nikolai, born in 1941, looks back on a life spent in the Donbas. A former miner, he recalls the workers\u2019 protests he took part in under Soviet rule. As the fighting draws closer and evacuations begin, he must now consider leaving the town where he has spent most\u2026<\/p>","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":59242,"template":"","meta":{"ps_lieu":"Bilytske, Ukraine","ps_annee":"2025"},"theme_reportage":[22,30,20],"class_list":["post-59240","reportage","type-reportage","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","theme_reportage-guerres-catastrophes","theme_reportage-international","theme_reportage-portrait"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.collectif-dr.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/reportage\/59240","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.collectif-dr.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/reportage"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.collectif-dr.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/reportage"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.collectif-dr.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/14"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.collectif-dr.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/59242"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.collectif-dr.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=59240"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"theme_reportage","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.collectif-dr.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/theme_reportage?post=59240"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}