Every day about fifty persons gather near closed check point in Stanitsa Luhanskaya – people try to go to Luhansk side. Despite the fact, that this passage has been closed for a month now, people don’t lose hope: sometimes they manage to persuade servicemen to let them cross the demarcation line.“People grew a crop and have to sell it somewhere. They can do it in Luhansk, — a man says, who sits near the block post. He is among those people, who try to cross the demarcation line. – They closed the check point and don’t let people pass. Aren’t there a way to solve this problem?”

Mostly pensioners gather there. Some of them want to visit relatives, some – to get back home. With a hope to pass the check point they stand on a side of a road near the block post and wait.

A few steps were made to close the block post in Stanitsa Luhanskaya. When the bridge across Severskiy Donets River was blown up, it became more difficult to cross the demarcation line. People brought wooden ladders and crossed the bridge on foots.

When Stanitsa Luhanskaya was shelled again in April, movement across the front line was officially stopped, but actually people kept walking. And at the beginning of June the check point was absolutely closed. Regional Military-Civil Administration explains that people deliver cheap products to fighters via this point, but fighters continue to shoot those people.

“My mother died in Luhansk yesterday, — a man of 60 years old tells, he has been trying to cross the check point for two days.- I’ve applied everywhere – the Head of Regional Administration, Commandant’s Office … They don’t want to let me go anyway”.

“Our mayor came – Moskal, — a pensioner Antonina Popova says. She is the most active here and protests the most. She calls Gennadiy Moskal – the Head of the Military-Civil Administration – a “Mayor”. – Why didn’t he solve people’s problems? I cannot go to get my pension”.

People address Yuriy Zolkin – the Head of the Stanitsa Luhanskaya Regional Military-Civil Administration. He came to calm people down and explain situation. People surrounded him at once and tried to ask questions interrupting each other and not listening to answers.

“I have to go to Luhansk to pay for my flat”, — another old lady joins the conversation, she sits with Antonina Popova on a truck’s tire casing on a side of the road.

“Do you think that he had to open the check point? I will explain you: the check point had been opened before Stanitsa was shelled. We deliver them cheap products, meds and they shell us here. Is it fair? – Zolkin says. People stop talking after his words and let him talk without interrupting. – You’d better ask Plotnitskiy why you can’t cross the line. People in Luhansk sleep well and we are under a fire every day. Where will you go to pay for you flat? “LPR” doesn’t pay Ukraine for electricity, water or gas, which we deliver them. Whom will you pay to? To Plotnitskiy’s pocket?”

“What should we do?” – Antonina asks with disappointment

“Understand – there is no check point, — Zolkin tries to explain one more time. – If you want to go to Luhansk, you have to go through Lisichansk and Zolotoe. That is the only one check point. I cannot order servicemen, it is not my competence”.
It doesn’t reassure pensioners.

“Who will pay for transportation? To go via Lisichansk is expensive – more than 200 hrivna”, — a young girl says. She is going to Luhansk to visit her grandmother.

This conversation lasts for 20 minutes. Then, Yuriy Zolkin takes a woman and introduce her to the block post’s Commander. Her ten years old son waits on the other side of the block post. She hopes that they will let him go. Eventually, the Commander of the block post takes decisions to let someone go or not.

“Every day about 50 people gather here and try to cross the demarcation line. – A soldier named “Seryy” from the 128th mountain-infantry brigade says. – We don’t let anyone go, it’s an order”.

But people hope to cross the demarcation line and tell that sometimes it works.

“Why do you think we stand here waiting? We are waiting — means that they will let us go, — a woman of 60 years says. – Sometimes we wait till the afternoon and then go. I don’t know what it depends on… It depends on a person, who takes decision …”

Anton Goloborodko, Konstantin Reutskiy for the Informator.lg.ua