Ukraine: Living on the front lines | All media content | DW | 06.11.2016

We use cookies to improve our service for you. You can find more information in our data protection declaration.

More info OK
  1. Inhalt
  2. Navigation
  3. Weitere Inhalte
  4. Metanavigation
  5. Suche
  6. Choose from 30 Languages

Europe

Ukraine: Living on the front lines

Under nightly mortar fire, thousands of elderly and impoverished civilians continue living on and between the front lines in East Ukraine’s ‘gray zone.’ Diego Cupolo reports from Donetsk.

  • Ukraine Konflikt Zivilisten an der Frontlinie (DW/D. Cupolo)

    Caught in the crossfire

    Every evening, the shelling begins around sunset. The front lines near Donetsk see nightly mortar and machine gun fire as the conflict between the Ukrainian military and pro-Russian separatists’ rages on. Caught in the crossfire are many elderly civilians who are too impoverished to go elsewhere. Ivan Polansky, above, surveys the damage on his home in Zhovanka.

  • Ukraine Konflikt Zivilisten an der Frontlinie (DW/D. Cupolo)

    ‘Waiting for a shell’

    Residents of Zhovanka in the so-called ‘gray zone,’ a thin strip of land separating warring militaries, line up to see a visiting doctor. Medics hold pop-up clinics in the town once a week. "Each day, you are waiting for the shell to land on your house and you never know when it’s going to come," said local resident Ludmila Studerikove.

  • Ukraine Konflikt Zivilisten an der Frontlinie (DW/D. Cupolo)

    Without electricity and heating

    Zhovanka was once home to 1,000 people, but the number has dwindled to about 200 since the war began in mid-2014. It has been three months since residents have had electricity and gas. "Sometimes I’m so scared that I lay in bed at night and just shake,” Studerikove said. “My husband stays by my side and holds my hand."

  • Ukraine Konflikt Zivilisten an der Frontlinie (DW/D. Cupolo)

    Nowhere else to go

    Olexander Voroshkov, program coordinator for the regional charity SOS Kramatorsk, said residents continue to live in half-destroyed homes with leaky roofs, even through the winters, because rent in nearby Ukrainian cities has skyrocketed since the beginning of the conflict. "Rents in Kramatorsk are now similar to those in Kiev, but the salaries are much lower than in Kiev," Voroshkov said.

  • Ukraine Konflikt Zivilisten an der Frontlinie (DW/D. Cupolo)

    Reliance on humanitarian aid

    Women line up to receive medicine and multivitamins in Zhovanka. Food and humanitarian supplies are delivered to the town by charity organizations, as crossing checkpoints sometimes requires people to wait more than a day in line. "We had everything; we had fresh air, nature. It was very nice here. Now we just have the cold," said local resident Vera Sharovarova.

  • Ukraine Konflikt Zivilisten an der Frontlinie (DW/D. Cupolo)

    Adapting to DNR frontlines

    Vera Anoshyna, left, speaks with neighbors in Spartak, a town in what is now the Donetsk People’s Republic (DNR). Anoshyna said she has done her best to adapt to the conflict. "If you don’t have water, you find it," she said. "If you don’t have electricity, you find a solution. But you never know where the next bomb will land."

  • Ukraine Konflikt Zivilisten an der Frontlinie (DW/D. Cupolo)

    Six broken ribs

    Svetlana Zavadenko stands before her home in Spartak. She was injured when the walls collapsed after several mortars exploded in her yard. Neighbors had to dig Zavadenko out of the rubble and she was sent to the hospital with six broken ribs and a ruptured liver. She smokes “Minsk” brand cigarettes and laughs when asked what she thinks about the war.

  • Ukraine Konflikt Zivilisten an der Frontlinie (DW/D. Cupolo)

    'We lost hope'

    Zavadenko recovered from her injuries and lives alone with several pets. Spartak has not had electricity, gas, or water services since 2014, so she uses a grill to cook her food. For firewood, she goes to an abandoned furniture factory nearby and collects plywood. "Last winter we thought [the war] would finish, but now, honestly, we lost hope," she said.

  • Ukraine Konflikt Zivilisten an der Frontlinie (DW/D. Cupolo)

    Possibility of a drawdown

    Damage from shelling on the outskirts of Donetsk. Despite past failures in deescalating the war, a new ceasefire may be in sight after an October peace summit in Berlin, where Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said he was ready to end hostilities in eastern Ukraine and would withdraw troops from the region.

  • Ukraine Konflikt Zivilisten an der Frontlinie (DW/D. Cupolo)

    'We lost too many soldiers to stop now'

    Even if both sides agree on a ceasefire, they will face opposition from their militaries, who claim their sacrifices were too heavy to simply put down their weapons. "We lost too many soldiers to stop now," said Vladimir Parkhamovich, colonel of the 81st Airmobile Brigade in the Ukrainian military. "If they give us an order [to stop] we’ll consider them traitors."


  • Ukraine Konflikt Zivilisten an der Frontlinie (DW/D. Cupolo)

    Caught in the crossfire

    Every evening, the shelling begins around sunset. The front lines near Donetsk see nightly mortar and machine gun fire as the conflict between the Ukrainian military and pro-Russian separatists’ rages on. Caught in the crossfire are many elderly civilians who are too impoverished to go elsewhere. Ivan Polansky, above, surveys the damage on his home in Zhovanka.

  • Ukraine Konflikt Zivilisten an der Frontlinie (DW/D. Cupolo)

    ‘Waiting for a shell’

    Residents of Zhovanka in the so-called ‘gray zone,’ a thin strip of land separating warring militaries, line up to see a visiting doctor. Medics hold pop-up clinics in the town once a week. "Each day, you are waiting for the shell to land on your house and you never know when it’s going to come," said local resident Ludmila Studerikove.

  • Ukraine Konflikt Zivilisten an der Frontlinie (DW/D. Cupolo)

    Without electricity and heating

    Zhovanka was once home to 1,000 people, but the number has dwindled to about 200 since the war began in mid-2014. It has been three months since residents have had electricity and gas. "Sometimes I’m so scared that I lay in bed at night and just shake,” Studerikove said. “My husband stays by my side and holds my hand."

  • Ukraine Konflikt Zivilisten an der Frontlinie (DW/D. Cupolo)

    Nowhere else to go

    Olexander Voroshkov, program coordinator for the regional charity SOS Kramatorsk, said residents continue to live in half-destroyed homes with leaky roofs, even through the winters, because rent in nearby Ukrainian cities has skyrocketed since the beginning of the conflict. "Rents in Kramatorsk are now similar to those in Kiev, but the salaries are much lower than in Kiev," Voroshkov said.

  • Ukraine Konflikt Zivilisten an der Frontlinie (DW/D. Cupolo)

    Reliance on humanitarian aid

    Women line up to receive medicine and multivitamins in Zhovanka. Food and humanitarian supplies are delivered to the town by charity organizations, as crossing checkpoints sometimes requires people to wait more than a day in line. "We had everything; we had fresh air, nature. It was very nice here. Now we just have the cold," said local resident Vera Sharovarova.

  • Ukraine Konflikt Zivilisten an der Frontlinie (DW/D. Cupolo)

    Adapting to DNR frontlines

    Vera Anoshyna, left, speaks with neighbors in Spartak, a town in what is now the Donetsk People’s Republic (DNR). Anoshyna said she has done her best to adapt to the conflict. "If you don’t have water, you find it," she said. "If you don’t have electricity, you find a solution. But you never know where the next bomb will land."

  • Ukraine Konflikt Zivilisten an der Frontlinie (DW/D. Cupolo)

    Six broken ribs

    Svetlana Zavadenko stands before her home in Spartak. She was injured when the walls collapsed after several mortars exploded in her yard. Neighbors had to dig Zavadenko out of the rubble and she was sent to the hospital with six broken ribs and a ruptured liver. She smokes “Minsk” brand cigarettes and laughs when asked what she thinks about the war.

  • Ukraine Konflikt Zivilisten an der Frontlinie (DW/D. Cupolo)

    'We lost hope'

    Zavadenko recovered from her injuries and lives alone with several pets. Spartak has not had electricity, gas, or water services since 2014, so she uses a grill to cook her food. For firewood, she goes to an abandoned furniture factory nearby and collects plywood. "Last winter we thought [the war] would finish, but now, honestly, we lost hope," she said.

  • Ukraine Konflikt Zivilisten an der Frontlinie (DW/D. Cupolo)

    Possibility of a drawdown

    Damage from shelling on the outskirts of Donetsk. Despite past failures in deescalating the war, a new ceasefire may be in sight after an October peace summit in Berlin, where Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said he was ready to end hostilities in eastern Ukraine and would withdraw troops from the region.

  • Ukraine Konflikt Zivilisten an der Frontlinie (DW/D. Cupolo)

    'We lost too many soldiers to stop now'

    Even if both sides agree on a ceasefire, they will face opposition from their militaries, who claim their sacrifices were too heavy to simply put down their weapons. "We lost too many soldiers to stop now," said Vladimir Parkhamovich, colonel of the 81st Airmobile Brigade in the Ukrainian military. "If they give us an order [to stop] we’ll consider them traitors."


More in the Media Center

BG Spannungen an der russisch-ukrainischen Grenze

Eastern Ukraine: Saber-rattling between Moscow and Kyiv 10.04.2021

Russian-Ukrainian tension: G7 leaders 'deeply concerned' 13.04.2021

Merkel calls Putin as Russia-Ukraine tensions flare up 09.04.2021

US and NATO call on Russia to halt military buildup around Ukraine 13.04.2021

Read also

Putin Biden Treffen Moskau 2011

US-Russia relations at lowest point in years, Putin warns 12.06.2021

Russian President Vladimir Putin said he hopes US President Joe Biden will be less impulsive than his predecessor. He also praised Donald Trump as "extraordinary" and "talented."

Ukraine Präsident Wolodymyr Selenskyj in Kiew

Zelenskyy 'skeptical' over Biden-Putin summit 14.06.2021

The Ukrainian president said Joe Biden should have met with him before meeting Vladimir Putin. The US and Russian leaders are set to meet in Geneva on Wednesday.

EURO 2020 Shirt des ukrainischen Fußballteams

Euro 2020 kit controversy: Ukraine jersey design angers Russia 07.06.2021

Ukraine's football association has included a geo-political dig at Russia in its Euro 2020 kit. The jersey features a map of the country including the Crimean Peninsula, which Russian annexed in 2014.

Ostukraine MH17 Flugzeugtrümmer

MH17 trial: What you need to know 07.06.2021

It's been seven years since a Boeing 777 was shot down over eastern Ukraine. The main proceedings against those allegedly responsible are now underway in Amsterdam. DW gives you the basic facts of the case.