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KYIV, Ukraine – In this besieged city everyone has become Neo.
Ukrainian civilians are taking on the task of spotting Russian infiltrators and “saboteurs” on the barren streets of Kyiv — and are taking inspiration from American movies such as “The Matrix” as they personally hunt down the possible enemy agents.
“We have a lot of provocateurs in the city, and yesterday I had two of them arrested from the streets,” says Victoria Kramarenko, 55, a nurse and longtime volunteer medic.
Detecting saboteurs has become such a serious issue, and authorities are encouraging everyone to participate in a “see something, say something” campaign of the sort New York’s MTA started after the 9/11 terror attack.
Kramarenko says she first noticed suspicious characters lurking around town a couple of months ago, when she saw an unusual gathering in the downtown area and called cops.
“Every few blocks in the downtown area, we see them, and they especially watch for movements of ambulances or areas where they see a lot of assault rifles,” she continues. “Now, there are just so many of them. They are like cockroaches spreading.”
Kramarenko says the saboteurs appear to identify target points and then type avidly into a smartphone or tablet, and then “it is only a matter of time before a shelling takes place.”
With a listless expression, she recounts how she once saw a man who looked lost typing something on his phone, so she personally approached him and questioned him.
“Often you can tell because they have special Russian accents, showing they are from (self-declared Republics) of Donetsk or Luhansk provinces or Russian accents,” Kramarenko observes. “Many Ukrainians speak Russian, but the accents are different.”
The nurse even credits the Keanu Reeves blockbuster “The Matrix,” teaching her to operate in a world where everything is not quite what it seems.
Yet, she is not the only one for whom life has become a feature film.
Another civilian-soldier guarding a residential neighborhood explains with a spirited smile that “J ason Bourne” movies have been on repeat since January, as the threat of invasion grew.
A Ukrainian computer programmer named Tatiana, notes her childhood sci-fi favorite “The Fifth Element” — which stars the Ukrainian-born actress Milla Jovovich — gives her the impetus she needs to take to the streets should the foot soldiers arrive.
Meanwhile, Kramarenko urges those with courtyards to take extra precautions as saboteurs are identifying these areas as places where they can potentially enter with military vehicles.
“In other cities, we have seen Russian forces try to and control courtyards as a base,” Kramarenko cautions, adding that the best radar is simply one’s intuition.
Andriy Liakhovych, the newly appointed Presidential Office military coordinator between the Ukrainian military, Territorial Defense Forces and Volunteer fighters, concurs that after eight years of perpetual conflict, many Ukrainians have come to know what isn’t quite right.
“Especially in a time like now, if a person asks too many questions, is too curious or cannot get their bearings in local settings, it is best to exercise cautions,” he asserts.
Typically, authorities emphasize, the suspect saboteurs move around in pairs.
Nevertheless, concerns over the safety of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy remain high. As per official word, some 400 Russian mercenaries have entered the Kyiv area in recent weeks with the number one goal of assassinating the globally renowned commander-in-chief.
“They (the saboteurs) are everywhere; we know that. They have been here for five or six years. But those who came here to destroy our presidents, their plans have been destroyed,” one high-ranking presidential official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, says before indicating that many are from Chechnya and currently behind bars.
From his purview, if Ukrainians see something suspicious, they should ask the individual something in Ukrainian, perhaps something very specific to their national heritage.
However, that 400 figure is seemingly only a small fraction of those who have set foot in Ukraine, mainly through the separatist regions in eastern Donbas Oblast or neighboring Belarus.
Get the latest updates in the Russia-Ukraine conflict with The Post’s live coverage.
Intelligence estimates suggest upwards of 4,000 such pro-Russian operatives are stationed in Ukraine, potentially preparing for an all-out assault of Kyiv in the coming days.
Adding to the perplexity of the outside penetration are the reddish symbols painted on buildings and roads, heavily concentrated in the capital. In an apparent throwback to the German Air Force during the Second World War, it is thought these are targets for Moscow airstrikes, emitting light to guide missiles.
“Those target indicators we see not only on the roads but on the rooftops too. They put some kind of violet light there, or maybe they just lay some powder, so it reflects. We’ve been noticing this since the very first day of the war,” Kramarenko notes.
The emergence of suspicious markings coincided with the full-throttle invasion about a week ago, notes Liakhovych.
Many of these plainclothes, mercenary activities are believed to be directed by a pro-Russian paramilitary group known as the Wagner Group, whose shadowy operations extend from Syria to Libya, Central African Republic to Crimea. As founded by Russian veteran Dmitry Valeryevich in 2014, the outfit is named after Hitler’s favorite composer, Richard Wagner, as well as his retired brigade commander’s call sign.
Kyiv officials also stress that those associated with Viktor Medvedchuk, the leader of Ukraine’s most prominent Kremlin-friendly party, also play a role in orchestrating sabotage activities. Authorities affirm that Medevedchuk escaped house arrest on Sunday.
While no one can predict what will happen to Kyiv in the coming days as a large convoy of Russian troops and tanks advances, I have yet to meet anyone willing to surrender their beloved city.
“We are using the internet, and all are making Molotov cocktails. Grannies are training and making cocktails too. We are all ready to throw them at the Russians if they come,” Kramarenko adds with a kind of solemn calmness. “I was able to imagine everything but strikes on residential buildings; this was not something I thought would happen in my country. War might be for men, but it is not for women and children.”
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