"This house is Little Odessa-sur-Seine": in Nanterre, the war has brought to light these discreet Ukrainian families

Their nationality, they had never claimed until then.

Not even displayed.

But when the first Russian bombs fell on Kharkiv, kyiv and Mariupol, a large yellow and blue flag was hoisted at 24 bis rue Rigault, in the city center of Nanterre.

An address where, for years, a mini-Ukrainian community has lived, gathered around Fedorko, the pioneer.

In total, three families, couples all parents of two children, have put their suitcases in this two-storey house, camped behind the square of the station, a stone's throw from the Nanterre-ville RER station.

A house divided into apartments where Fedorko was the first to settle, alone, ten years ago, before being joined, 5 or 6 years ago, by young compatriots.

“I had noticed the names on the mailboxes and I had understood that they were people from Eastern Europe, breathes Ahmed, a regular in the neighborhood.

But I don't know why, I imagined Romanian families.

I would never have bet on Ukrainians.

Until I see the flag.

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Collection of clothes, medicines and food

A flag hoisted out of pride, to mark "the resistance of a people", but not only.

The banner also served as a rallying point for the collection carried out last week by the occupants of the house.

"It's rare but the gate then remained open for several days, which never happens," notes a neighbor.

And when I saw the flag, I understood that the house must be occupied by Ukrainian families”.

“This collection, we did not organize it spontaneously, specifies Fedorko.

In fact, we were contacted by a Ukrainian association asking us for help.

All we did was collect what people brought us: clothes, medicine and food like pasta or rice.

We then put everything away in the outbuilding and a truck and came to collect the stock to take it there.

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In Ukraine, all have left relatives, parents, children or cousins.

“My son lives here in Gennevilliers, with his family, breathes Fedorko.

But my wife stayed there, not far from the Polish border.

When I came to France twelve years ago, I came alone.

“So inevitably, the man scrutinizes with anguish the evolution of the fights and takes news of his wife every day.

"I call him every day and even twice a day," he says.

Once in the morning and once in the evening.

I never could have imagined that things would turn out like this.

Normally the Russians are our brothers…”

Since the collection, the discreet house has regained its usual calm.

The flag no longer flies and the gate has closed on the courtyard.

On the stairs of the house, stored next to plastic balls and a set of badminton rackets, only “Free Ukraine” signs adorned with a heart on a blue and yellow background still bear witness to the recent unrest. who, for a time, took over the place.

“The circumstances are sad,” notes Ahmed.

But this house is downright Little Odessa-sur-Seine and without this war, no one would have ever known that these families lived here…”