The front line in Donetsk and Luhansk regions has separated not only territories, but families. Tens of thousands of people now have no opportunity to see their relatives, who live sometimes in a few kilometers away, on the territory, controlled by the enemy. At the end of October, 2015, in Stanitsa Luhanskaya village, which is15 kilometers to the east from occupied Luhansk, a check point was opened, which lets through the border to a territory, controlled by fighters or in opposite direction.

People can pass only on foot – a bridge was exploded by fighters and is unsuitable for vehicles. It is the only one check point in Luhansk region along 150 kilometers front line. It was closed for more than 6 months according to a decision of military and civil administration and local residents could get to uncontrolled territory only illegally. Now only those people, who have a permit issued by the Security Service of Ukraine, can pass. It is not very difficult to get such permit, but people don’t have an opportunity to know about the procedure and rules. That is why a lot of people wait for hours in a check point and have to go back eventually, because of mistakes they’ve made when registered a permit.

The check point has only a small dugout, where people can cover from possible shelling. People in a queue have no shelter to escape a bad weather, no place to get warm, there are no toilet, no place to buy food or get medical aid. At the end of November an elderly man died of a heart attack in a queue at the check point. But despite all those difficulties, hundreds of people come to the check point every day with a hope to cross the border and see their relatives.

There are only 5 check points along the front line, which is 350 kilometers long. Besides, there are 4 in Donetsk region, when there had been none in Luhansk region until recently. Queues at check points in Donetsk region sometimes reach ten kilometers. Hundreds of people spend hours there and have to spend nights in cars on the road – check points are closed at night. This complicated procedure makes people violate the law and cross the demarcation line in inappropriate places, where they pay border guards and military men sometimes, taking a risk to be blown up on land mines or become a victim of a casual shelling. But a desire to see relatives sometimes is stronger than fear.