SHCHASTYA, Ukraine - Dozens of tanks are driving at a high speed past the road sign “Shchastya” or “Happiness” in Ukrainian on the way to Luhansk, a new stronghold of armed Kremlin-backed separatists.
At the same time last year, residents of Luhansk, the provincial capital just in 15
kilometers to the south, were regularly coming here to enjoy summer holidays in
this city of about 13,000 people, surrounded by woods and clean ponds.
But
now a road through Shchastya is closed. There is war going on outside of
it.
The
residents have already gotten used to the sounds of shelling that shake their city almost every hour. As Shchastya is located in a hollow, the shells, which the
Ukrainian troops fire at separatists, fly over the town usually without
damaging it.
But
on June, 4 when targeting at separatists’ checkpoint the army hit the house in
outskirts of the town but without any victims reported. Since then many people
left the town or evacuated their children. But those who work at the local
power plant, the major enterprise in Shchastya, stayed fearing to lose their
jobs otherwise.
There
are no more than a dozen of people walking at the central town’s square around
the unusually short and chunky Vladimir Lenin’s statue.
Since
Russian-backed separatists established their first check points in May, the
residents were split on their supporters and allies of Ukraine’s government.
But
no matter what side people take their little tragedies are around.
Taras
Patun, teacher of history at a local college and a member of Ukrainian Cossack
community, was anxiously waiting for the day when the Ukrainian troops come
into the town.
But
just in one day before the Ukrainian servicemen arrived on June 14, a group of
rebels came to his work place and arrested Patun along with his three
colleagues, dragging one of them to the car trunk as there were no free space
in the car. “Then I saw a story on Russia 24, accusing them of being NATO
snipers,” Tetiana, Patun’s wife remembers
Since
June 13 the woman made numerous attempts to release her husband, trying to pay
ransom or negotiate about exchange. On demand of separatists she has recently
collected 300 signatures of Schastia’s residents who vouched for him as a
decent man, whose activity didn’t pose any harm to the town. She hopes this
idea will work.
But
when the Ukrainian forces came in, their opponents have also got under the
danger of arrest.
Volodymyr
Tiurin, deputy mayor of Schastia, was been arrested by his house on July 9 by
the fighters of Aidar pro-Ukrainian paramilitary battalion, which participated
in bringing of Schastia under Ukrainian control. Tourin was accused of cooperation
with separatists and brought to the local police station, which now serves as a
headquarters of Aidar’s military commandant. The residents feared he could be
persecuted as the local authorities hoisted the Ukrainian flag only on the
third day after the town was liberated.
Even though Ukraine didn’t impose martial law, Aidar battalion, which technically serves as
subordinate unit of Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense, took the town’s governance
under its own control just like separatists did months ago. Aidar imposed the
curfew in the town since 1 p.m. by the morning.
On
the territory, this is just in miles away from the battlefield, those who have
guns have all the power.
Residents
of Shchastya fear the fighters of Aidar Battalion, who include members of Ukrainian
nationalists groups, even more than army soldiers. “I don’t know, who they are
and whom they represent,” said Sergiy, 40, local driver, who didn’t give his
last name over fears of reprisal.
But
the majority of people in Schastia try avoid any comments about either the
Ukrainian forces or separatists as the situation is too fragile there. The
rebels keep up fighting the soldiers at the checkpoints around of the town. At
least 18 Ukrainian servicemen were killed in fight the town only on June 18,
according to the Ukrainian weekly Dzerkalo Tyzhnya military sources.
While
the Ukrainian tanks keep moving through the town finally destroying its poor
roads, Tetiana Patun anchors her hopes they will liberate Luhansk but fears
they may retreat.
“If
anti-terrorist operation’s forces abandon the town and leave us it will be a real
disaster for me,” she said.
