in New York, the conflict has upset the life of the district of Little Odessa

The war in Ukraine started six months ago. A conflict that has disrupted the lives of millions of people around the world, including in the New York neighborhood of Little Odessa where the largest Russian-speaking community in the United States lives. Europe 1 went to meet them.

“The war changed our relations”

When exiting the metro, Cyrillic replaces the Latin letters on store fronts. Felix is ​​Ukrainian, he has lived in the United States for 30 years. He waits in front of a shop decorated with blue and yellow flags. “The war changed our relations a lot. Before, Russians and Ukrainians, we were like brothers. Not anymore because they always defend Russia”, he regrets. In Little Odessa, 45% of the inhabitants speak a Slavic language. Many fled Russia in the 1990s.

Denice left Moscow with her mother just before the start of the war. He is now a waiter in a Ukrainian restaurant. “I don’t agree with the war, that’s why I work with Ukrainians. We are like a family here, we support each other. Sometimes there are pro-war Russians , but I don’t talk to them anymore”, explains the young man.

Everyone assures us that the district massively supports Ukraine in this conflict. A war experienced as a heartbreak by Irina. “I’m half Russian and half Ukrainian, and now the different parts of my soul are fighting against each other. I love Russian culture and I loved Russian people.” Kharkiv, his hometown, was devastated by Russian bombs. “They are my enemies now, they have destroyed everything,” she says, staring into the Atlantic Ocean.