In eastern Ukraine, the offensive launched more than a week ago is progressing slowly. The bombardments are intense, but the Russian forces settle with difficulty, village after village. Our special envoys met a unit of the Territorial Defense of Donbass, while civilians continue to try to flee.
With our special correspondents in the Donbass, Oriane Verdier and Aabla Jounaïdi
On a dirt road, somewhere around Sloviansk, three men in military fatigues are waiting for us. Their head of unit is a former landscape photographer. He exposes one of the issues:
There are a lot of people here who support the Russians – who are separatists, what. Slaviansk is known to be predominantly separatist. These people have already given all the army positions to the Russians, but we are still trying to keep a low profile.
In the distance, we hear the sound of gunfire. It’s just training, explains Ruzlan, the only one with military training.
A soldier must learn to be friends with his weapon. Me, when I started military service, for months I lived and slept with my weapon.
The Territorial Defense forces were made up of civilians to support the conventional army. Here, all come from Donbass and say they are ready to die for their land. But faced with a static front, it is difficult to keep the troops motivated, explains the head of the unit.
We cannot say that they are bored, but there are people who are currently on the front line, engaged in intense combat. We all came to fight, and right now we’re just patrolling the city. So I try to re-motivate my unit all the time.
Russian troops still made two breakthroughs to the northeast and northwest of Sloviansk. Since February 24, everyone has been trying to keep in mind that the situation could change at any moment.
►Read also: In the Donbass between sequels of the past and fear of the present
A volunteer evacuates civilians from the front
Some civilians continue to attempt to flee. Evacuations are organized, especially in areas that pro-Russian forces threaten to take imminently.
Vlad Savtchenko is a volunteer who organizes some of these evacuations in the towns and villages of Donbass. He’s been spending his days on the road aboard his minibus for a month. Roads more dangerous than ever, in the north of the region, where the Russians are tightening their grip.
Today we evacuated residents of Severodonetsk and a village near Lysychansk. We also evacuated several people to Lyman and Popasna, where the situation is dire. Today, in my little van, I evacuated eleven people, half of whom are children. People in the villages don’t leave right away. They are waiting to see. In cities, they stay in cellars, shelters. I don’t know what they expect. A woman told me “I have a roof over my head”. I’m not sure I’ll find it anywhere else.” I reassure them by telling them that my own family is in Poland. They were given accommodation and enough to live on.
With his team of thirty volunteers, Vlad Savtchenko assumes to act for humanitarian reasons, but also in favor of the Ukrainian army.
Some don’t want to leave. But for the army, it would be much easier if everyone left. She wouldn’t have to worry about the presence of civilians and would concentrate on fighting the enemy. If you don’t leave in time, it’s over for you. In Rubizhne, the city is partly held by the Ukrainians, and the other by the Russians. There are street fights. For many civilians who have decided to stay, I’m afraid their only way out is in black bags.
This Wednesday, kyiv recognized an advance of Russian troops in the region. Probably announcing new evacuations to be organized for Vlad Savtchenko.
