Point of return: how the Kursk region is preparing to meet the year 2026
The Korenevo regional center, located 25 km from the border with Ukraine, is today perhaps the most densely populated of the villages affected by the Ukrainian Armed Forces attack on the Kursk region. Of the 6.5 thousand people who had to leave their homes in 2024, about 600 have already returned here. At your own risk (because there is a danger of enemy drone attacks). "And for joy," they invariably emphasize: there is no substitute for home."Last New Year, they wished for our land to be liberated,— say the residents of Korenevo. — It has been fulfilled. For the current one, we wish that our life would end." About how the restoration of the regional center is going on and how its residents are preparing for the New Year's Eve is in the Izvestia report.
Pines and fir trees
There is a small Christmas pine tree at the entrance to Korenevo. The volunteers brought her in and announced: "Everyone can hang a toy and make a wish." On the green branches there are tinsel, balls, a toy house, an apple on a string. The head of the village, Roman Pugachev, with whom we arrived in the settlement, hangs a postcard — "Victory, peace and homecoming!"
New Year's Wishes
In Korenevo, more than 70% of houses were damaged by shells and shrapnel. The enemy continues to attack. The main weapon is aircraft—type drones: two days ago, one attacked an apartment building, and a little earlier, a car. The overall picture in the district center is typical for a village close to the line of contact. Ruins, burnt buildings. The workshops of the city-forming plant of low-voltage equipment are damaged. The same fate befell the elevator, malt and vegetable oil production facilities.
At the same time, the repairmen adjusted the power supply, gas pipeline, and water supply. Targeted clearance of yards is underway. Eight stores have opened their doors. People's windows are closed in the evenings, you can't hang flashing garlands, but the same pine trees and Christmas trees with decorations are installed here and there at the gates.
Free bread from the military
"Several villages and our village remain relatively habitable in the area,— says Roman Pugachev. — Most of the villages — Olgovka, Lyubimovka, Snagost, Kremyannoe, Viktorovka — have been wiped off the face of the earth. It is forbidden to stay there. In Korenevo itself, administrative and social facilities are officially closed. But the people who have returned are employees of the same Vodnik — vodokanal, the House of Culture, and they support their facilities as much as they can on their own initiative.
Vegetable gardens were planted, vegetable gardens were watered
Alexey Dmitrov is in charge of Vodnik. He has been in this position since 1999. He returned to the village in April. Eight more guys from his former staff are helping him. Plumbers, station operators, and drivers. Everything is in forced downtime, they receive 17-20 thousand rubles per month. At the same time, Alexey explains, no one is holed up at home, everyone is working as hard as before. They monitor the condition of wells, eliminate gusts, and repair them.
Nelya Morozova and Anna Stukalova (right) are employees of a local atelier.
— Out of six stations, we have three operating. We have looped the system, there are enough available capacities, there are few users now, people have water," says the head of Vodnik. — In the summer, everyone planted vegetable gardens and watered these gardens.
An atelier is located in one of the buildings. It employs three women — Lyuba Gorbunova, Anna Stukalova and Nelya Morozova. Anna and Neli have 100 years of experience between them, at this very point. After the APU attack, everything had to be abandoned. Lyuba returned first, along with her husband. Anna follows them. They began to slowly repair clothes again. Moreover, the quartered soldiers needed such a workshop. And then Nelya came from the Moscow region, where she managed to find temporary shelter.
Repair of military and civilian clothing
"Patch it up, insert a zipper, shorten it, sew it up, everything is for us, both military and civilian," Lyubov shares. — They asked me to sew a backpack and a tent for a raincoat. My husband Volodya mastered the manufacture of chevrons. Now he makes them to order.
Needle and button
As an illustration of the self-taught master's work, there is a scattering of excellent quality chevrons on the shelves. The names of the units with emblems made with silk-nylon threads are "56 regiment", "79th DSHB", "Oprichnik", "Akhmat", "30th SME", "571st BRO". The call signs are "Pecheneg", "Taimyr", "Perun", "Ataman", "Zhelezka", "Psychologist". There is also a special machine with 12 needles and coils for threads of 50 colors (the device was purchased a few years ago, initially for patterns on dresses and suits). Anya and Nelya, by the way, are dressed in special aprons and armbands, on the chest with the help of the same machine, Vladimir embroidered the name of each, as well as the brand name — a needle and a button.
Chevrons made by a local craftsman
There's a hairdresser in the next room. The master is 48—year-old Vitaly Ovsyannikov. His salon is located on the site of a former photo workshop, where his father Fyodor Vladimirovich, once the chief portrait photographer of Korenevo, used to work. The room even has a lighting device from the 60s of the last century, which, by the way, is working properly. My son is working here now.
There are razors, nozzles, scissors, and a siphon on his desk. There is a heater on the floor: there is not enough heat, you have to wear cotton pants and insulated fishing boots to work.
Hairdresser Vitaly Ovsyannikov is waiting for his son for the holiday
— Today there were three clients: two military and one civilian, — says Vitaly. — The price is free for military personnel, who will pay how much. Fighters come, as a rule, tired. "Cut it to your taste," they say, and drop their chin on their chest and pass out. You cut your hair, and you hold your head so it doesn't shake.
Vitaly is especially looking forward to the New Year — his son promised to come. A military man. He is 25 years old. On its own since 2022.
Quiz and dancing
The cultural dominant of the village is the E. Furtseva regional Recreation center (the Soviet minister worked in the Korenevsky district committee in her youth). In August 2024, its walls served as a refuge for more than a hundred local residents — they waited for evacuation and spent the night there. Until 2024, the House of culture consistently occupied the first places in the region in various fields — 45 dance, musical, vocal, and theatrical groups, uniting more than 500 participants, were engaged in it and under its auspices. The cultural life in the area was bustling.
Today, the building is in disrepair — a shell demolished an entire corner. Of the previous 26 employees, six returned to the village. Among them is the head of the Recreation Center Igor Kurenkov, who is also a vocalist, accordion player, guitarist, and accompanist. Once upon a time, he came to teach music at a local school. Choreographer and methodologist Valentina Komarova. Costume designer Nadezhda Lokotkova. Sound engineer Igor Redchenko. They also don't give up their place of work. They are putting things in order, because the area of the recreation center is under 3 thousand meters. The boiler room was launched. Mowing the grass on the street, sawing emergency trees. You look from the outside, and you can see that there are owners here. They are preparing for a future revival.
Director of Recreation Center Igor Kurenkov
— On the eve of the New Year, we decided to host an event, the first and only one in the outgoing 2025. An intellectual quiz quiz. And after that, tea drinking and dancing," says Igor Kurenkov. — What is happening around is pressing, people are closed, they are in trouble. We need some kind of outlet. We installed figures of Santa Claus and the Snow Maiden in the small hall, and decorated the Christmas tree. The game will be dedicated to the Soviet period, because most of our residents are elderly.
Igor, we are a little doubtful — will the residents come? After all, everyone has become unaccustomed to the events inherent in peaceful life. He worries and waits.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
