Families separated as Crimean port of Sebastopol caught between Ukraine and Russia

 Russian forces block Ukraine's only exit point to the Black Sea by sinking two aging vessels, as the crisis in Crimea intensifies. Jillian Kitchener reports
 
TWICE a day, for the past seven days Natasha has been walking 2km from her home in the Crimean Port of Sebastopol, with her nine-month-old son Yulian strapped into a babybjorn on her front. 

 
The trek to the Ukrainian Naval dockyard could be shorter but for the past week it has been in lockdown and under siege by armed Russian troops.
But Natasha knows about a small doorway hole in the ring steel fence of the base, just along a steep muddy hill and from here she can enter and see her husband on the deck of the anti-submarine corvette-class Ternopol.

“Yes I come here every day sometimes two or three times per day, he has to see his Papa,” the 35-year-old Natasha says, panting from the walk and pointing at her gurgling bundle.

There is no gangplank and the ship is tethered just within yelling distance so she stands on the edge of the dock with her mobile and husband Yuri, the ship’s cook, stands on the rear deck. They stare at each other and wave as they talk on their phones. Yulian kicks wildly in excitement on hearing papa’s voice.

Stranded ... baby Yulian points in the direction of the ship on which his father is working as a cook. Picture: Ella Pellegrini

Then sailors use a crude makeshift pulley system to haul a backpack to shore into which Natasha and the other wives and girlfriends load tea, chocolate bars, tinned food, cigarettes and other goods.
“The 21st Century and this is what we are doing, it’s crazy,” she says as she crouches, her baby hanging perilously close to the dock’s edge, to heave the goods back to the ship.

“I am in shock really. We are just simple people. For us to be put into this situation like a jail. It’s not possible to go out, it’s not possible to go in. We are not guilty for this situation.

“Already six days in there and I just deliver food. We are just waiting to see when our government contacts the Russian government or some other government for this situation. Yuri went to work six days ago and not come home. But I believe everything will be OK and we will have peace.”
She says those on board are doing OK and are eating well.

“My Yuri, he is the best cookie in the world, they eat well because of my cookie,” she says cheering herself up with the thought after being on the verge of tears over the situation. Cookie Yuri has only been in the navy a month.

Access denied ... Russian warships block the entrance of the Port of Sebastopol in Crimea. Picture: Ella Pellegrini

Alongside the Ternopol is the large Bambuk-class Slavutych command warship and it too has a makeshift rope pulley system where wives and girlfriends can haul goods to their men. The warships each with a detachment of armed marines who stand guard on deck around the clock are stuck at berth in the Sebastopol Bay by Russian vessels blocking their path. Two more Russian warships block the opening of the harbour to the Black Sea. Its too dangerous to try and manoeuvre out so they wait for the governments to decide their future.

A duty officer of the Slavutych deck told News Corp Australia they are OK and morale is high.
“We are all OK, there is no problem here and we are just enjoying navy life,” he said with a thumbs up. “Life in the navy is very good don’t you think?” he adds and break out in laughter.


Fortified ... the entrance of the Russian Naval Base near Sebastopol, Crimea. Picture: Ella Pellegrini
Around him men go about their business, sweeping and mopping the deck, polishing the symbolic brass bell and other duties while watch officers stare into binoculars as Russian ships pass by and attack helicopters thunder overhead.

They are at war but just not sure yet with whom. But no one will surrender, they have made that clear to their Russian “jailers”, who have repeatedly ask them to stand down. They pledged an oath to Ukraine and for that, they stay.

As Natasha leaves the dock the same way she comes in she merrily declares she enjoys the exercise.
“And anyway what else can I do?” she asks. “Thankfully I have only the one (baby); we are thinking about the next one but obviously no moves that way for the past six days and anyway I think we would want to have peace first before talk of bigger family.”