How has the mood of the ATO zone’s residents changed for this year? How is it to live on the front line? What channels do Ukrainian soldiers watch? Where should we deliver humanitarian aid first? How do locals earn money on the admission system? A volunteer of the charitable foundation “Vostok-SOS” Evgeniy Vasiliev answered these questions. Since the beginning of the conflict he has been delivering humanitarian aid to hard-to-reach settlements of the liberated Donbass.
Volunteer – oncredit
At the beginning the most difficult was to find money. We didn’t have a bus, we were using two cars with other guys. It was hard to plan the rout and our goals. They needed to go to one place, we – to another. After a few times we realized that we needed our own car. We wrote about it in social networks, borrowed money and bought a bus. Our friend didn’t even hope that we will return the money. But we did. So, the forth journey was made by our car. In total we have made 12 trips. Usually, there are three of us, sometimes four. Previously we spent a week in a trip, now it is a month or more. We order humanitarian aid in Kharkiv, load it, sort out and go. Like a real job. When I spend too much time in Kiev I feel a desire to go back – to the ATO.
It is often hard to see the last block post, because there are no special maps. Sometimes even soldiers don’t know what is beyond their block post. They often offer us to go ourselves and check … There is a check point in Zolote, it is called “Pryaniki”. It is on the hill, but all cars wait underneath. We came there and couldn’t understand for a long time if it was the right block post — we haven’t noticed any signs. And when we saw a man with a gun heading towards us, we decided to run away. Because we have tridents on sides of the car and Ukrainian flag inside. We were almost sure that he was a “separatist”. But when he came closer, we saw Ukrainian flag on the buttstock and sighed with relief. After that we have even made a plan – who will eat the flag, who will hide ribbons, who will tore emblems. Fortunately, we haven’t been in troubles yet.
Close to the front-line
It is very easy for us to decide where to go: we open a map, look for villages, which are closest to the contact line, to the front, and choose places, where we haven’t been yet. We go to small villages, where no other missions go, nor the Red Cross, nor the NRC. They are not allowed to go so far, because it can be dangerous. They visit mostly big settlements: Shchastya, Stanitsa Luhanska. Only Moskal (the head of the Luhansk regional military-civil administration) goes there – to Lapaskino, Balatena, etc. We look for information about the place, about population, about people’s needs, ask if there are no separatists … After that we take humanitarian aid and go there. All sets are the same: buckwheat, rice, flour, sugar, macaroni, butter, canned food and oil – a kilogram of each.
Even soldiers watch Russian TV channels
There were different excesses with local residents. In September-October in Stanitsa Luhanska people rushed upon us with questions and demands, they didn’t know what the “Vostok-SOS” mean, asked us to give them the humanitarian aid we’ve brought. When we answered that we provide aid only according to the list or give it to IDPs – they started a fight. “You will give it to fascists, to natsyki (Nazi; fighters of the National Guard or any Ukrainian soldiers), to those who shell us!”. They asked kids to repeat that — “Nazi fired us”. They threatened us to turn our car upside down and we decided to leave. Now there are no such problems. Now some people support “LPR” but understand that the situation is worse there. Even soldiers themselves say that attitude towards them became better.
People are mostly pro-Russian – support “Novorossiya” and “LPR”. All of them are against war, but “militants” – are “good guys”, but Ukrainian army is “bad”, because they’ve heard, that it shelled them. Local deputy in Lapaskino told us: “I asked Ukrainian soldiers, if they would restore destructions in the village. They answered “No, we came here to fight”. But when I asked “militants” the same, they answered “Yes! We will rebuild it together” … But Ukrainian army feeds them. Only soldiers were delivering humanitarian aid to those settlements before us.
There is no radio in settlement. We haven’t met newspapers either. People mostly watch satellite television, and of course – Russian channels. Even Ukrainian soldiers watch Russian channels.
Slavyansk is oversupplied when there is no food in villages
Slavyansk is oversupplied with humanitarian aid. It was liberated 6 months ago, but people still deliver aid there. Even destroyed buildings are restored there. But I haven’t seen any restorations in Lisichansk or Popasnaya. There are many destructions in Stanitsa Luhanska. Krymskoe village is absolutely ruined. It is shelled because our army stays there. There are not so many destructions near the front line. Slavyansk and Kramatorsk are been restored step by step. But I suppose, that settlements near the front line need humanitarian aid much more, because people there have no place to go to buy food or household chemistry. There is a great demand for diapers, because people have to go from Valuyskoe, for example, to Lisichansk or Starobelsk – 100 km away, to buy diapers for 500 hrivna. Thereareabsolutelynomedsinvillages. Wedeliveritpersonally. Stores don’t work or have a schedule. In Krymskoe, for instance, a store works three days a week, from 8 AM till 4 PM.
Settlements, where the “Vostok-SOS” volunteers delivered humanitarian aid.
How to make money using the admission system
It is very difficult to get there: asphalt roads are blocked, the last block posts don’t let cars go because of combats and the only way there is along fields, but they are mined – so no one gets there. That is why many “contraband” roads appeared in fields. People from the one side send money and a small cart – locals on the other side buy products and send the cart back. And people go to Luhansk to sell those goods – business. Because prices on occupied territories are much higher. People deliver products to Slavyanoserbsk on boats via Donets River. This service costs 50 hrivna.
Soldiers help locals of course. Provide them with products and help if someone got stuck on the road. A woman has been injured by shrapnel recently and soldiers took her to a hospital by an APC. Soldiers are still supported by volunteers but not as it was 6 months ago. Government provides them with underwear and socks, volunteers switched to TV sets and optics. Soldiers are also oversupplied with food and they have an opportunity to share it with locals, what helps them to go through the war.
Written by Dennis Matsola for the Informator.lg.ua