The joint Ukrainian-Italian military exercises in one of Europe’s biggest proving grounds at Yavoriv are drawing to a close. However, the Italians cannot leave for home, as the residents of a local village of Verbliany, worried about the health of their children, have blocked the entrance to the facility. Notably, 129 children have developed similar symptoms: cough, sneezing, chest pains, and gasping. The villagers blame it on the Ukrainian-Italian military exercises in the Yavoriv Proving Ground and demand an independent examination. If the military is to blame, Verbliany residents want to receive compensation and be granted Chornobyl victim status.
The military is showing an open and constructive attitude toward the locals. Perhaps this is because the families of the military also live a stone’s throw from the proving ground. However, no mass incidence of poor health in the children of the military has been reported.
According to Western Operative Command Deputy Commander Ludvig Kobersky, the problem originated in 1947 when the territory of the proving ground and especially the tank course was chosen without much regard for the nearby settlements. To quote him, “The firing range starts 700 meters from the nearest dwelling. Thus, this situation can be viewed as the normal reaction of any person that fears for the health of his kin. With constant rumbling it is no wonder that the children might be frightened, develop a stutter, and begin to wet the bed. Since we live in a democratic society, why not seek a middle ground?”
Of course, this problem cannot be solved overnight. Changing the tank course alone within the limits of the proving ground carries a price tag of UAH 10 million. For now, the command had decided to suspend heavier fire such that only machine gun firings are currently allowed.
Military medics have also announced their findings: “The military exercises have not harmed the environment or local residents. Experts of the Western Command medical service, Central Military Hospital, and the 28th Sanitary and Epidemiological Unit have all attributed the widespread cases of disease in students of the Verbliany secondary school to a seasonal increase in the incidence of infectious respiratory diseases that is unrelated to the Yavoriv Proving Ground of the Western Operative Command.” Analyses of the soil, water, and air have shown no abnormalities (the noise level exceeds the norm by 29-30 decibels, but this is a different problem). Thus it is not the exploding shells but the coming of fall that is to blame for the outbreak. This view is shared by civilian doctors and, in particular, Chief Physician of the Oblast Sanitary and Epidemiological Station Roman Pavliv.
However, Oblast Council Deputy Vasyl Pazyniak opposes such a stand: “If it were flu, there would have been outbreaks in other villages.” Meanwhile, Yavoriv Mayor Volodymyr Postaviuk lays the blame on politics, claiming that the uproar around the epidemic in Verbliany is the result of the upcoming presidential elections.
Meanwhile, the oblast committee made up of representatives of the public, local authorities, and the military, while the Verkhovna Rada committee created by People’s Deputy Volodymyr Yavorivsky has the final say.
While the committees are working, the children are recovering and discharged from the hospital.
P.S. According to the Ministry for Emergency Management, as of October 1 thirteen children have been diagnosed with type A influenza. By decision of the chief district public health physician, the school has been closed temporarily. Local doctors are working to contain the epidemic. The cause of the outbreak has not been established. The examination continues.
