War in Ukraine: Between missiles and howitzers, an ancient and hidden drops of water safety for the people of the Donbas

Nothing comes out of the pipe a drop of water, But for residents of Lysychansk, a besieged city in eastern Ukraine, it is small fountain hidden among the trees It was a lifesaver in the midst of war.

Artyom Cherukha bowed and listened the whistle of shells above him, between Russian and Ukrainian positions, mobile, while filling several plastic water bottles.

A few steps from there the tail of the “Hurricane” missilethe size of the man, hanging between the branches, above a green upholstered cliff.

Cherukha, 41, seems to ignore the chaos around her. He was there, with his elbows on his knees, waiting for the drops of water to fall.

“I feel total apathy. I do empty morallynot to mention my physical condition, “he said, his voice flat.” We’re sitting here, counting bombs“.

Some industrial cities on the eastern front of Ukraine no longer have access to food and water. In the cellars, the occupants (don’t know how many) try to survive in increasingly difficult conditions.

Before the Russian invasion, which began on February 24, Lysychansk, in the Luhansk regionin the heart of the Donbas, is an important center of coal mining, there are approximately 100,000 jobs and several old churches.

The streets of that ghost town they are in the ruins and surrounding roads is bombarded that the humanitarian missions supplying the area would have to be cut off.

In more than two months of the war, Russian forces have been advancing into this region of Lugansk, with the governor not stopping at urging the population to leave the area.

Some vehicles circling the roads, at high speed to avoid rocket and mortar fireapparently intended, above all, to rescue wounded Ukrainian soldiers.

In this situation, some locals who dare to leave their shelters do so to get a little sun and fill their bottles. in the little spring.

“There is no more water in the city. We came here because it’s the only place ”where it’s there, explains Andriy Tytyunkov, a 39-year-old welder, with a hesitant voice.

“But when the bombardments are really strong, you have to stay inside,” he added. “They can drop (bombs) anywhere”.

Many generations of inhabitants north of Lysychansk came here hidden origins in recent years: they did so during World War II and, more recently, in 2014, during the conflict with Moscow -backed Donbas separatists in 2014. And now again.

The municipal administration ensures that the damage caused to the water supply network they are “irreparable” and that there was no water in the city until after the war.

Meanwhile, this natural resource it is your salvationno matter how imperfect you are.

Dirty water and lack of food

Before leaving, the water penetrates the soil, which is impregnated with chemical products.

The region is one of the dirtiest in Eastern Europe. The ravine near the source is full of gushing toxic waste, coming from one of the many factories in town.

“We need to boil the water”explanation by Volodymyr Ivanov. “It looks pretty clean, but no one looked at it directly,” said the former seaman, looking at his bottle in the sunlight. “Who knows what’s really inside him?”

Added to the lack of water is the lack of food.

“We are almost gone,” said Artyom Cherukha, adding that the latest humanitarian aid deliveries They have been dating since last week.

“Even if I decide (…) to feed my kids only once a day, we’ll only have enough for three days,” the man said, father of seven children. “How do you tell your kids there’s nothing to eat?”

AFP

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