The dirt road leads up a small hill, from which one has a good view of the valley with its seemingly endless fields of wheat and barley. Zebrykowe is a small hamlet 80 kilometers north of Odessa. Stone barracks crouch on the slope, derelict and abandoned, in Soviet times they belonged to a kolkhoz. Most have neither windows nor doors. Only one building stands out from the ruins: it’s newly renovated, the roof is new, the heavy iron gate is painted black and secured with a padlock. “My treasure chest,” says Juryi Yalowchuk and unlocks the door.
Now read on with STERN PLUS
What you really need to know: Backgrounds, analyses
Already registered?
