I’m a teacher in a school in Sverdlovsk, Luhansk region. An academic year has passed. We can sum up: there is no salary; graduates were betrayed – they will not receive Russian diplomas, just a wolf’s ticket of the “LPR”. I survived this year because of my pupil Vanechka. I was teaching him for a tinned stewed meat, butter, cereals and etc. Vanya’s relatives are “militants”. They don’t have money, but they have products from “humanitarian aid”. My husband works on a mine “Krasniy partizan”, before the war his salary was 10-12 thousand hrivna, now it is 2.100-2.200 hrivna.

We took a credit for a car. We cannot leave, because the car will be immediately taken, and we cannot go to Ukraine – because don’t have money to pay it back. The city has bogged down in looting and marauding. Everyone has to pay regular “tax” to Gaydey. Transporters pay 100 hrivna for each trip through a block post to Rim (Gaydey’s nickname).

My friends resell goods from Russia; they drive via “Krasniy Partizan” check point. “LPR’s” border guards there take 5% of products’ cost. And if you will go at night without a receipt, you can negotiate with Rim’s Cossacks for 2%.

My sister has a store, she pays taxes to “LPR”, bought a license for alcohol drinks and pays to Gaydey for a guard – 1000 hrivna, — 500 hrivna … moreover, she pays fines to commandant’s office, the last one was 10000 hrivna – for selling vodka to a minor, who was 17 years and 11 months old, 1.90 m high with a beard. To pay the fine she had only 12 hours, or – a basement.

I live near Dolzhanskaya station, there is a small market. I witnessed recently how “militants” humiliated an old lady, who was selling a home-distilled vodka. They were kicking her, insulting and taking away her products. They were shouting “shoot”, yanking the rifle’s bolt … they wanted to take her to commandant’s office. She had a stroke, she was paralyzed right there at the market square, Cossacks left her, they didn’t even call ambulance.

My friend is a doctor in city’s hospital. She is afraid to make prescriptions for Cossacks and their relatives, because they can come back with guns and ask why she had prescribed such expensive meds. Our neighbor has been stopped lately by Cossacks – “traffic policemen” for a smell of alcohol, they took away his car to commandant’s office and tagged for 10000 hrivna. After paying a fine he took back his car with bald wheels, another accumulator, without a cassette radio, without a spare wheel, wrench set, a jack and compressor. But he was happy to get it back.

I always argue with my friends about changes. In the past we had the police, custom service, traffic police, good salaries for teachers and miners. We had a state, and now we have Cossack Gaydey and his team of armed morons. And we have “LPR” republic with fake diplomas.

Faithfully yours, teacher of the school # ** Nataliya Sergeevna (name was changed)

P.S. Vanya’s parents are moving to Bryansk region, no tinned stewed meat next academic year …