LUHANSKE, Ukraine — A group of volunteers planned a four-day tour to the front lines in September and took me with them. From what I had seen, the Ukrainian army is still in great need of infrared viewers, binoculars, building materials and, while hard to believe — food. The men in this group have been helping the volunteer battalions and the standing army for three years.
All the necessary things had been bought and packed into the van and jeep so it was high time to define our route. The plan was to go to Avdiyivka, an industrial city of 35,000 people some 700 kilometers southeast of Kyiv, Maryinka and the distant village of Krymske in Luhansk Oblast. These places are the hottest spots.
Early in the morning of Sept. 14 we hit the road to Kharkiv. This city was the first where the aggressive pro-Russian forces tried to take control, but the pro-Ukrainian majority consequently won. Here we bought a portable X-ray machine for the Ukrainian Army medic volunteers.
After that we set out for SlovIansk. At the first roadblock we stopped and our bagged cargo was checked by the soldiers. The German and French ministers were visiting Ukraine trying to figure out a plan for the cease-fire and, after Kyiv, they were going to Kramatorsk and Sloviansk.
We continued our mission and finally reached the long-suffering city of Avdiyivka.
This city has been a hot spot since August 2014 but, starting with the winter of 2016, the clashes between Ukrainian soldiers and separatists have seriously intensified.
On one of the cold February days, the Ukrainian army forced the militants out of the industrial zone near Avdiyivka. They were made to do it because of the increased activities of the separatists’ sabotage and reconnaissance groups. Since then, the situation here has typically been tense. The militants have been continually trying to push the Ukrainian forces back from the Yasinuvata junction which is very important for their military supplies from Donetsk to Horlivka.
We stopped at the last roadblock before the industrial zone near a destroyed nine-floor house. Here we waited for the soldiers who would take us to the battlefield. I used this time to speak with the locals going through the roadblock. And I must say that the younger people have a strong pro-Ukrainian stance but the older civilians told me hard-to-believe stories about how Ukrainian armed forces are shelling themselves and the city using high-explosive shells with reverse trajectories. Actually the problem is that it’s practically impossible to watch Ukrainian channels, hear Ukrainian radio and also there’s no Ukrainian newspapers in Avdiyivka. So the younger actively use the internet to find out what’s going around them and get a more impartial picture while the older people watch TV channels broadcasting from Donetsk which are imposing their distorted truth.
Finally a soldier with the call sign “da Vinci” came to the roadblock. We put vests and helmets on and got ready for the dangerous trip.
The road to the industrial zone can be full of undesirable surprises because the militants’ reconnaissance groups are highly active here.
Coming to the heart of this battlefield we clearly heard the sounds of the cease-fire.
The separatists had been provoking Ukrainian soldiers to open fire, first with small arms and then RPGs and large-caliber machine guns.
The Ukrainians kept their guns silent.
Masses of bullets flew over our heads but I didn’t see any signs of confusion or fear on the faces of the soldiers, only concentration and anger.
They are not allowed to open fire; they may do it only in the cases of extreme necessity. We spent a few hours enjoying the melody of the cease-fire orchestrated by the militants. One can even hear their voices because the distance between Ukrainians and separatists is in some cases 50 meters.
When the militants decreased the level of fire, “da Vinci” told us to go out because in the evening they freely use heavy artillery and it’s going to be far more dangerous here. We left some infrared viewers and building materials for the soldiers and came back to the roadblock.
After saying goodbye to the soldiers we went to the Zenith position by a road full of shell splinters and unexploded mines.
This position is the closest one to the remnants of Donetsk Airport. Here we also can clearly see the city of Donetsk.
The separatists never stop their provocations here.
They are trying unsuccessfully to force the Ukrainian troops out of here because this very position and one near Butivka mine are the closest to Donetsk and pose a serious threat for them.
Coming back to Avdiyivka we saw how the militants used heave artillery against the units of the ATO forces at the Industrial Zone.
Our next mission is the city of Maryinka, which is close to separatist-held Donetsk.
We came to the roadblock in the middle of the night where the soldiers of Donbass-ZSU battalion waiting for us.
Recently Maryinka has turned into a flashpoint. The militants’ sabotage and reconnaissance groups since the mid-August trying to get into the city.
Of course, there’s strong resistance from Donbas soldiers.
A platoon commander, Aver, took us to the positions controlled by his soldiers. One must clearly say that these positions are the closest ones to the militants. The street where they live in is shelled every night.
Aver and his guys are living in derelict houses though in one of them there’s an old lady helping the soldiers to hold the lines.
The distance between the oppositing positions of Donbas is less than 200 meters.
This night was unusually calm. Even dogs previously barking all the night were quiet.
Sometimes the separatists tried to provoke with small arms but the Ukrainian soldiers just kept an eye for them without answering. We met the early cold morning with coffee in our hands, then Aver led us to the place where our car stayed for a night. We didn’t take it to the frontline because it could have easily been destroyed there. A woman in a nearlby home told us that the groups of separatist militants were formed mostly from local gangsters and drunkards in 2014.
After Maryinka we head for our final stop – the village of Krymske that is surrounded by the Seversky Donets River. There are no good roads in this part of Luhansk Oblast. Krymske has suffered a lot from the Russian-backed separatists. Its inhabitants in its majority were pro-Ukrainian in the beginning of the war. So the Russians shoot the local member of parliament and tortured a mother with her son for their position. There is a tuberculosis clinic but the militants in 2014 destroyed it by the multiple rocket launch system GRAD so now Ukrainian soldiers take care of the patients.
These days the soldiers of the 93rd Brigade defend the village from the separatists.
They are trying to improve the quality of life organizing a hospital for the inhabitants because it’s practically impossible to get proper medical assistance here. Stepanivna, a volunteer is implementing this project. She invited her friend who is a dentist to treat the locals. During two days the doctor made nearly 100 operations free of charge. That’s why we brought the portable X-ray machine here. It will seriously help the volunteers in treating soldiers and the locals.
In conclusion, the situation at the frontlines is very dangerous.
The militants open fire from Stanitsa Luhanska to Shyrokyne.
The biggest clashes are near Avdiyivka, Maryinka and Svitlodarsk.
It is extremely hard to say that the recent visit of the German and French foreign ministers will bring about a real cease-fire. But one thing we should be well aware of is that the militants may start active provocations at any time.
Anatolii Shara is a freelance Ukrainian journalist.
