After liberation of Dzerzhinsk Ukraine refused to fight for minds of local residents. Citizens suppose that Kiev doesn’t want to see front-line Dzerzhinsk as a part of Ukraine. Rumors are dismissing that the city will be surrendered and officials hope that occupants will come. Famous Ukrainian human rights activist and international journalist Maksim Butkevitch shared his impressions after a visit to the city.

City on the front line

When I came to Dzerzhinsk I understood, that there are only two cities right on the front line – Dzerzhinsk and Avdeevka. But in Kiev I’ve heard only about Avdeevka and othe cities of Donbass. Nothing about Dzerzhinsk.

I went to Dzerzhinsk to conduct training about “hate speech” in mass media. I’ve never been there before. And the fact, that there is a local public organization, which is implementing a project, which stipulates training about a “hate speech” in today’s circumstances – is absolutely unbelievable.

Maksim Butkevitch

30 people participated in the training – starting with local civil activists, representatives of local social service and library system.

The trip was very short: I came in the morning and left in the evening and it is hard to make some exhaustive conclusions based on such short visit is difficult. But my impressions are very hard.

Ukrainian city beyond the state border

To get into Dzerzhinsk you have to go by train to Konstantinovka and than by a taxi to Dzerzhinsk. There is a block post with a huge line of trucks. Part of those trucks is driving a dirt road via villages without lines and a block post.

There is a blue-yellow board near the block post saying: “State border service, an exit check point ”. I asked a driver: “Stop, what is that?” He answered: “Ukraine” – “What is further?” – “As you want” …

On the other side there is a same board, but entry board. It means that Dzerzhinsk is not a part of Ukraine. The question is what is Dzerzhinsk? What legislature do people there use? Which state will they address for help?

That is why now, when I hear from local pro-Ukrainian activists a phrase – “we will be surrendered” – I see it differently.

We have only prices for utilities from Kiev

For some time I’ve been working in South Beirut – it is a territory of Hezbollah. In Ukrainian Dzerzhinsk I felt the same.

I was talking to the taxi driver and he told me: “We are going to Europe, aren’t we? I am for European Ukraine. But why we haven’t seen a thing from Kiev since the moment we had been liberated? We see only risen prices for public services”.

700 hrivna is a payment for gas and not everyone has money to pay for all utilities. People just don’t earn money. Most part of such eastern cities was built around an enterprise forming a company town. Dzerzhinsk was founded around two mines. Both of them are closed now. They were closed it the beginning of the war. People need money to launch them again.

There are stores, shops, but nothing fills the budget. Unemployment rate is incredibly high. The taxi driver asked me a question: “Why Kiev liberated us but didn’t give any necessary things for life, which had been destroyed by the war? But it didn’t forget to raise prices”. This question is floating above all front-line zone.

Are we Ukrainian or what?

Such settlement as Dzerzhinsk have never been problem-free. There is no common opinion, all people are different. But there is this floating in the air question: “Are we released or what? Are we Ukrainian, or what? If we are released, it is worth to show us that Ukraine is better than “LPR” and “DPR”?”

Of course, we know that Ukraine is better, but there are people, who have to do something for a living, they are not ideological and need someone to persuade them that Ukraine is better. “We haven’t seen anything from Kiev yet”, — pro-Ukrainian local activists tell me, who help our military men. They really do believe to be surrendered to “DPR”.

There are also many IDPs in Dzerzhinsk – 15000 were reported. 2000 do live there – it is a very big number for such place as Dzerzhinsk. 2 groups of IDPs organized themselves and help same IDPs as they are. There is local pro-Ukrainian newspaper “Provintsiya” which has a section devoted to IDPs’ problems.

Shelling at nights, football during days

Except reconstruction of damaged by the war buildings, help to IDPs and solders, activists manage to integrate Roma. They suffered more than everyone else during occupation. Local organization “ecology and social protection” started a project on integration of Roma community, within which they had my training. You may think that the war is not the best time to integrate Roma, but even after occupation in Ukraine they are discriminated. It was the first time for all my practice that representatives of Roma community participated in training, they felt themselves a part of society.

There is a normal life in the city: boys are playing football, children are dancing in the Pioneers’ House… at the same time outskirts of the city were shelled from Gorlovka and there were damages. Our guys repulsed the attack and damaged something there, even injured some civilians. This peaceful life during the day and the war at night – is a norm for Dzerzhinsk.

I’ve seen news about Gorlovka in papers. But I haven’t seen a word about Dzerzhinsk for a long time. And local activists ask: “Why there was nothing about Dzerzhinsk?” Somehow Dzerzhinsk is absent in Ukrainian media.

 Officials are waiting for “ours”

The most part are sure that according to the Minsk agreements Dzerzhinsk has to be surrendered. People told me that officials say: “Wait for ours to come”. This means that “we will show you then”.

Ukrainian flags appeared again only because of activists’ work. Now they are thinking about renaming the city.

There are more pro-Ukrainian people, but mostly people think: “Leave us alone, we hate you, because you haven’t done a thing for us”. And this is true. And the question is what will win – hearts or brains. And Kiev did nothing for this.

On my way back I asked them what TV channels they watch.

“Russian and “separskie” (which are controlled by separatists)”. Only people who have satellite dishes can have Ukrainian channels; others have analog television and only “separskie” and Russian stations.

There is the same mayor in Dzerzhinsk, he was there before “”DPR” and during “DPR”. Some people want him to go, some want him to be criminally liable.

No one is going to repair anything on front line territories, including international organizations. Mostly because they didn’t get even minimal guarantees that those territories are Ukrainian. International organizations address our Resource center (a volunteer organization, which helps IDPs) with questions if one or another water line or a school needs a restoration. International donors don’t trust Ukrainian authorities.

We are Ukraine. But our fate is decided without us

Water supply to Dzerzhinsk is coming from Gorlovka, which is controlled by separatists. To get it without delays we have to pay. Local authorities write dozens of letters about financing of water supply, but no one helps. Maybe money will be put to the budget for 2015-2016 in autumn. But people need to drink water now! It is possible that local authorities don’t want to invest money because they are not sure that the city belongs to them. And the city wants to understand its belonging. But Kiev keeps making rules and collecting money giving anything back.

It makes the zone even more “grey” than boards on block posts. There is a legend that the city was liberated by an accident – they were going to release Konstantinovka and came to Dzerzhinsk accidentally. It is easy to sit in Kiev and reason what territories we can give up. But it is very scary to see pro-Ukrainian activists wondering “surrender or not”.

They have a feeling that their fate is decided without them.

When such cities as Dzerzhinsk were released, locals supposed that they were becoming a part of new Ukraine. “We chose to be Ukraine, we want to decide our fate. But now there is a feeling that our fate is decided without us”.

They don’t want full maintenance; don’t want to be a burden. They want a help in restoration of basic elements of infrastructure.

Local activists try to hide their pro-Ukrainian views. In Ukrainian city Dzerzhinsk pro-Ukrainian activists hide their opinion because “ours” can come. In this case it will be hard to understand from where to wait for a help. Probably from nowhere.

Prepared by Denis Matsola for the Informator.lg.ua