Sloviansk Several young soldiers off-duty sit together at a military distribution center, enjoying a rare break from fighting. They tell jokes and eat pizza while artillery blasts can be heard just a few kilometers away. It’s a reminder of what’s looming here, in Sloviansk, for the second time after the eastern Ukrainian city was occupied by pro-Russian militants in 2014.
Now the war has returned. After the fall of Lysychansk, Sloviansk could become the next big target for the Russians trying to seize the Donbass region, Ukraine’s predominantly Russian-speaking industrial heartland. “Everyone knows that there will be a heavy fight in Sloviansk,” says one of the soldiers, whose name cannot be given for security reasons.
One of his comrades, a 23-year-old former accountant, says Ukrainian forces simply don’t have the weapons to fend off the approaching Russians with their superior arsenal. “We know what’s coming,” he says with a sad smile.
These soldiers were teenagers when pro-Russian separatists took over the city eight years ago and controlled it for three months. The short occupation terrified the people of Sloviansk, dozens of regional administration officials and journalists were taken hostage, and people were repeatedly killed. Fierce fighting then ensued as the Ukrainian military besieged the city to liberate it.
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“Strictly speaking, the war never left Slovyansk, it never left people’s minds,” says Tetyana Chimion, a 43-year-old choreographer who has turned a fishing gear shop into a meeting place for local military units. “On the one hand, it’s easier for us because we know what it’s like. On the other hand, it’s harder for us because we’ve lived like this for eight years, in a state of limbo.”
City of divided loyalties
Sloviansk is a city of divided loyalties. A large proportion of the population is retired, and it’s not uncommon for older residents to express sympathy for Russia or nostalgia for their Soviet past. There is also mistrust of the Ukrainian military and government.
Rocket attacks have destroyed infrastructure and many buildings in the city.
(Photo: dpa)
When a rental apartment complex recently came under fire, a resident named Sergei said he believed the attack was carried out by the Ukrainians. “I’m not pro-Russian, I’m not pro-Ukrainian. I’m somewhere in between,” the man explains. “Both Russians and Ukrainians are killing civilians – everyone should understand that.”
And when a bomb blast tore off the roofs of their apartments and smashed windows last week, a group of elderly residents vented their frustration — at Ukraine.
This says, “that it protects us, but what kind of protection is that?” asks a man who did not want to give his name. “You kneel before this Biden – may he die!” exclaimed his neighbor Tatyana, referring to the US President.
Chimion explains that after 2014 it became easier to know “who is who (in Sloviansk). You can now see it easily. These people are for Ukraine and these people are for Russia.”
In their view, more should have been done to punish collaborators with the Russian proxies after 2014 to prevent a repeat. “That’s why we can’t negotiate, we have to win. Otherwise it will be a never-ending process. It will keep repeating itself,” she warns.
Attacks on the city have intensified
Inspired by President Volodymyr Zelensky, Sloviansk Mayor Vadym Lyakh decorated his office with Ukrainian flags, anti-Russian symbols, pictures of national poets and even a biography of Winston Churchill. But before 2014 he belonged to a political party that sought closer ties with Russia.
Many residents of the city have been evacuated.
(Photo: dpa)
According to Lyakh, pro-Russian sentiment in the city has waned in recent years, partly because of the horrors of 2014, but there are still “people waiting for the return of Russian troops.”
As the front drew nearer, attacks on the city intensified. Three quarters of the residents have fled, but the mayor says that there are still too many people in Sloviansk, including many children. He calls for people to leave the city and spends his days coordinating humanitarian aid and beefing up Sloviansk’s defense capabilities.
More and more often he is one of the first aiders on site after bombings. Reporters from the AP news agency followed him recently and witnessed an attack on a residential area. According to Ljachs, cluster bombs were also used.
This is how the Handelsblatt reports on the Ukraine war and the consequences:
There was one fatality and several injured. According to the mayor, attacks are now occurring at least four to five times a day. An attack on Sloviansk with at least six dead was also reported on Sunday.
life before the invasion
While Lyakh remains confident that Ukrainian forces can hold the enemy at bay, he is also clear on his options. “No one wants to be captured,” the mayor said. “If there is an imminent threat of enemy troops entering the city, I will have to go.”
Many young soldiers speak wistfully of their lives before the Russian invasion.
(Photo: dpa)
The mayor is constantly under pressure and cannot allow himself to relax for even a minute, he says. “It’s emotionally difficult. You see people dying and getting hurt.”
At the military distribution center, the young soldiers wistfully talk about their lives before the Russian invasion. “I had a great car, a good job. I was able to travel abroad three times a year,” says the former accountant, who wants to stay in Sloviansk with the others to defend the city. “How can we let someone just come and take our lives away from us?”
More: Read the current developments in the Ukraine war in the Newsblog