According to the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission, almost 13,000 people died from April 2014 till December 2018 as a result of the armed conflict in eastern Ukraine. Among them were 3300 civilians, 4000 soldiers of the Ukrainian army, and 5500 representatives of the so-called "LPR / DPR". 27,000 to 30,000 people suffered from injuries.
The story below is about the suffering of an innocent woman who has become a victim of war. The armed conflict changed the routine of Maryna Mykhailivna (the name has been changed) and turned her life into a survival in conditions of lawlessness and uncertainty. The documentators of Vostok-SOS Foundation met Maryna in a sanatorium in the picturesque village of Liutizh. The woman underwent a second consecutive rehabilitation after severe injuries that she received in the winter of 2015 during the shelling of a passenger bus near Volnovakha.
In the beginning of war
Maryna Mykhailivna lives in a small village located in the gray zone of the Donetsk region. At the beginning of hostilities, the woman did not leave for a long time, although the village repeatedly suffered from shelling. In the summer of 2014, other residents and the woman herself did not yet understand that they were between the hammer and the anvil - the war had begun.
I lost my job so I was hired to graze cows. And all these shells flew, we did not understand the scale of what was happening.
The shelling gradually intensified: two houses in the village were completely burned down. However, people viewed the fighting as something temporary. For a long time, there was no casualties until one tragic incident had happened. Maryna Mykhailivna still recalls it with horror.
Husband, wife, their child, and sister... all they left the village. They had a white minibus. As they were driving, the shell striked their car... it was a direct strike. I do not know where the sister was with her boy, maybe she took him out to the toilet ... Husband and wife were burned down in their seats. Sister is a disabled person of the third group. She does not want to share anything about that dreadful event.
Maryna Mykhailivna realized just in winter that there was a real war going on. No one knew when it would end. One day she decided to visit friends in the evening. Suddenly, shelling began and the explosions were behind the neighboring gardens. Maryna quickly returned home with her husband to milk the cow; suddenly the shells began to explode on a close distance to their house.
I was scared. My husband went through Afghanistan, he tried to reassure me: "Don't worry, it's not around yet." When it striked near neighbor`s house, he said: "This is the end." Shell got hit in front of the house and in the garden. Holes were of my height, and three meters in width. I don’t know why they were shooting. Luckily, we dodged a bullet. The fire went down the street as the shells hit all the houses in a row.
Attack
At the end of December 2014, Maryna Mykhailivna celebrated the New Year with the children at their home. The woman returned home on January 13 by train, where she met Olha, her neighbor in the compartment. Both women turned out to be on the road to Volnovakha. Maryna Mykhailivna carried heavy luggage, and three cakes for her friends. She didn’t want to go by bus, but Olha persuaded her.
Maryna Mykhailivna recalls that it was difficult to leave the bus station that day.
We had waited for four hours, we could not leave, there were so many people! So many went to Donetsk from Volnovakha. The bus left at 14:00, and someone stopped us at the checkpoint. I don't know, we stood there for a long time. And then I heard the strike.
At first, Maryna Mykhailivna did not even understand what had happened.
It felt like the bus jumped and all the windows shattered. People stood bloodied right in front of me. I didn't even feel pain when I was hurt. I didn't feel anything. Then, probably, I wanted to either lie on the floor, I wanted to move my leg ... and such a hellish pain!
The woman cannot hold back her tears and adds that an accident saved her from her own death.
I changed seats with Olha. She told me: "You leave earlier so you can stay here, and I will sit by the window." Right after the explosion I heard her whisper: "I'm too [wounded]." I saw how her face had started turning yellow. I thought she felt bad, but she actually died.
Rehabilitation
Rescuers pulled Maryna out of the bus by the hood of her jacket, covered in blood and shards of glass. After the attack, the woman was taken to the hospital, where she spent two months. Her family and volunteers visited her; they bought her medicines and food.
After some time, Maryna Mykhailivna returned home. Due to the injury, the leg did not bend; she had to spend a lot of time on difficult rehabilitation.
What a pain it was! They bent my leg without any anesthesia, without anything. It was bent by 25 degrees twice, then by 40 already. I screamed out loud.
The pain still reminds of itself, but it does not feel that bad as in 2015. However, the the brutalities of war has left a deep scar on her soul.
I'm worried about the pressure due to a nervous breakdown. And nothing helps. It happens that I feel some unexpected thrill and then such a wave of pain... I don't know what this thrill is. Nothing helps, neither medicine nor something else. I try to stay focused and control my thoughts and that's it.
Soul healing
At the end of our conversation, Maryna Mykhailivna told how she tried to curb fear and deal with post-traumatic stress.
I don't have a hobby, but I have four front gardens.
I used to have a cow. It was a family member. I treated her when she was sick. And then she fell and never got up. I was broke, I stayed home for a week. The cow was my hobby. If she was sick, I would take her on a leash and go to the vet. I loved the cow and now I cannot remember her without tears.
Now I love flowers, I have four front gardens of flowers. It's just for pleasure. I want everything to stay safe and sound.
Unfortunately, Maryna Mykhailivna`s story is not unique. That's great to know that the Ukrainian state provided the woman with primary treatment and rehabilitation, but it rarely happens to other civilians, affected by war. There are no state programs for the rehabilitation or systematic financial assistance to civilians, suffered as a result of the hostilities. People stay alone with their mental problems on their own. Inner revival and overcoming the fear of living in uncertainty is a great challenge for everyone who lives near the contact line and in the "gray zone". The one can see it on the example of Maryna Mykhailivna.
Cover photo: Ministry of Defense of Ukraine
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On October 2 at 16:00 in Poltava Art Museum human rights defenders presented the publication "City, where the war had started" about...
On October 2 at 16:00 in Poltava Art Museum human rights defenders presented the publication "City, where the war had started" about human rights violations that took place during the occupation of Sloviansk from April 12, 2014 to July 5, 2014. The presentation was attended by former detainees and victims of the war in the Donbas, IDPs, media and representatives of the cultural sphere.
The speakers of the presentation were:
The seizure of Sloviansk by illegal armed formations was possible due to the inaction of local authorities and local law enforcement agencies. “Our task as human rights defenders is to remind the public about the crimes and the persons responsible for them. We cannot but say that the local authorities were not responsible for the events of 2014 in the city. Unfortunately, we do not see any progress in the investigations. Moreover, some of the politicians, who participated in the events of the "Russian spring", are aiming for the positions in local power," - stressed Anton Udovenko.
Andrii Moskalenko spoke about the functioning of illegal prisons and human trafficking during the occupation of the city. "Civilians were very often transferred between illegal groups that forced detainees to dig trenches during shelling. In fact, people turned into some kind of goods," - said the lawyer. "We also worked on the part about mining and, I must note, the illegal formations mined virtually everything in Sloviansk: schools, the city council, the building of the SBU, thereby endangering the lives of innocent people."
Hanna Kurovska worked on a section about children and adolescents and their experience during the occupation of the city. She also mentioned the cases of involving minors in illegal armed groups. "Therefore, the upbringing of children needs special attention. Unfortunately, many respondents noted the intensified militarization of young people, which took place during the occupation of the city and is ongoing in the self-proclaimed republics."
"Everyone`s story is special, and our task is to preserve it and present to the public in order to rethink the traumatic experience that innocent people went through in 2014," - said Maria Biliakova. "In the process of documenting, we saw several ways how people can work on reconciliation. The basis for it is the ability to listen to the opinion of another, grassroots initiatives and respect for human life and dignity. That is why the volunteers had a high level of trust right after the release of the city".
Former prisoner of the "DPR" Iryna Boiko testified during the presentation about what she saw while being held in one of the illegal prisons. "The locals were thrown into the basement for 15 days. They said either you pay a huge "fine", or you join us, or we will kill you. And, of course, many went to illegal formations in order to survive. And I have to say that these people deserve to be forgiven ", - said Iryna Boiko. "I also saw many children, these were teenagers of 14-17 years old, who settled at the prosecutor's office. I heard how they were brainwashed. It was a very strong pressure on the child's psyche".
Facebook translation of the event: https://www.facebook.com/jfp.org/videos/1030542370717977/
The publication "City, where the war had started" was prepared by the Eastern Ukrainian Center of Civic Initiatives, the CF "Vostok SOS", the Human Rights Center for Public Research, Moloda Prosvita Prykarpattya, the Public Committee for the Protection of Constitutional Rights and Freedoms of Citizens, which are members of the Coalition Justice for Peace in Donbass ”, supported by Kurve Wustrow - Center for Training and Networking in Nonviolent Action within the framework of the Civil Peace Service program funded by the German Federal Government.
On October 2 at 16:00 in Poltava Art Museum human rights defenders will present the publication "City, where the war had started" ab...
On October 2 at 16:00 in Poltava Art Museum human rights defenders will present the publication "City, where the war had started" about human rights violations that took place during the occupation of Sloviansk from April 12, 2014 to July 5, 2014.
Sloviansk became not just a city where the war in the East of Ukraine had begun - the events in the city became a role model for seizure of other cities of Donbas. During the presentation, human rights defenders will discuss civilians survived and adapted to life under occupation, the activities of illegal armed formations controlled by the Russian Federation, and the direct commander Igor Girkin; persecution of residents for their religious beliefs; involvement of minors in illegal armed groups; problems of shelling and mining of civilian infrastructure. Also, the authors of the publication will highlight the issue of pro-Russian propaganda in the city and the problem of finding ways of reconciliation in society after the restoration of government control over Sloviansk.
The Coalition members are going to explain why the experience of Sloviansk is so important for understanding the war and reconciliation processes in the East of Ukraine:
The presentation will be broadcasted on the page of Coalition "Justice for Peace in Donbas".
For any questions regarding organization, please contact Iryna Boiko: +380503051284.
The event will be organized in compliance with all anti-epidemic recommendations of the Public Health Center of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine.
The publication "City, where the war had started" was prepared by the Eastern Ukrainian Center of Civic Initiatives, the CF "Vostok SOS", the Human Rights Center for Public Research, Moloda Prosvita Prykarpattya, the Public Committee for the Protection of Constitutional Rights and Freedoms of Citizens, which are members of the Coalition Justice for Peace in Donbass ”, supported by Kurve Wustrow - Center for Training and Networking in Nonviolent Action within the framework of the Civil Peace Service program funded by the German Federal Government.
Interactive exhibition of testimonies "On the Rift" about the violation of rights of civilians during the war in Donbas was presente...
Interactive exhibition of testimonies "On the Rift" about the violation of rights of civilians during the war in Donbas was presented to public on September 17 at 15:00 in the Regional Universal Scientific Library in Khmelnytsky. It is the 12th city where the exhibition is being shown. Among the guests of the presentation were representatives of public organizations, former detainess and witnesses of the war from Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts, volunteers, and representatives of culture and media.
"On the Rift" reveals the essence of the changes that the civilian population faced in 2014 on 14 stands, and 5 of the are interactive. The last stand "What do we have in common?" works also as an interactive review book, where the viewer has the opportunity to leave a comment about the exhibition.
"We chose the name "On the Rift" because it clearly shows the irreversibility of changes that have taken place in people's lives because of the chaos created by "L / DPR" illegal formations. Key themes are human fear, family separation, atomization of society, uncertainty, despair, horror experienced by prisoners, sexual and gender-based violence in illegal prisons in Donbas. We demonstrate thorough research the answers to the questions: “When have the war started?”, “What is restoration of justice for you?", - noted Anton Udovenko, project manager of the Eastern Ukrainian Center for Civic Initiatives.
The exhibition "On the Rift" was also created as a discussion platform for discussing the problems of war victims. “We can once again be convinced that art can serve as a tool for change when there is strong polarization in society. Thanks to the testimonies of these people who are mentioned in the exhibition, we can feel their stories and understand the severity of the challenges they have faced because of war. This is an exhibition of empathy. It shows that it is worth learning to understand each other in order to prevent events like in 2014," - said Olga Bauer, head of the NGO "Eco-Culture," local co-organizer of the exhibition.
Former prisoners and witnesses of hostilities in the East of Ukraine also had the opportunity to speak: Halyna Haiova, who was a prisoner of the illegal prison "Izolyatsia" for 16 months, and Kateryna Kramskova, an IDP and the wife of a militaryman who witnessed the seizure of Luhansk.
During the presentation, between the participants arose a discussion regarding the vision of reintegration of the occupied territories. Some of those present underlines impossibility of reintagration in the future.
"How could you say that we need to clear that territory? People live there, it is devoid of respect for them", - noted Ivan, a former resident of Luhansk.
"There are still people in Luhansk, who support Ukraine. They hung yellow and blue T-shirts alongside on Flag Day to show their position. Don't forget about it", - noted Anastasia, also a former resident of Luhansk, head of the local Center for Tolerance.
Facebook translation of the event: https://www.facebook.com/jfp.org/videos/338672117469868
The presentation and creation of the exhibition "On the Rift" was possible within the framework of the project "Empowering Civil Society to Transform the Culture of Memory - Nonviolent Ways to Resolve the Cruel Past of Donbas", implemented by public organizations Kurve Wustrow (Germany) and Eastern Ukrainian Center for Civic Initiatives (Ukraine) together with NGO "Eco-Culture" and partners supported by the German Federal Government.
The Secretariat of the Coalition «Justice for Peace in Donbas»
