31.08.2015. www.delfi.lv, www.lsm.lv

I am asked sometimes: “Why are you still staying in Donetsk, where the living conditions are so bad and when most of residents have left the City?” It may sound strange, but Russia’s military aggression has brought also some positive results: it has relieved many of us of the illusion called “brotherly people”, besides, they were so brotherly as if it was possible to live without drawing a border between us, seemingly being a single state; it revealed the real face of the formerly ruling Party of Regions and the Communist Party and their role in preparation of the capture of Donbas by Russia; it turned many neutral, i.e. socially passive citizens of the region in the true and active patriots of Ukraine undertaking responsibility not only for their own lives, but also for the life of the country, in other words, it stepped up formation of civic society; and it helped many of us (both those who had left the City and those who are still staying there) to become aware how great our love is towards our City and our home. People often repeat that “By staying here, I support the City just by my presence”, as if it was a seriously ill person feeling better when someone kept his hand.

Our home remains here, no matter where we are now, our memories live here, our ancestors are buried here. And I fully agree with the Chinese authors of feng shui who wrote: “If you read the graves of your ancestry, it will secure your well-being in the future”. These are the roots feeding the whole tree. This year it has become impossible for many citizens to come to see and tidy up the graves of their loved ones – some of the Donetsk cemeteries are situation in the zone of warfare.

Very many Ukrainian patriots stay in “DPR” (“Donetsk People’s Republic”), and I am one of them, since we have to take care for invalids, aged parents, seriously ill relatives. It is difficult for such persons to survive even during peace time without assistance on the part of their relatives, but now it is simply impossible. Over the period of their illness, many invalids have to some degree adjusted their lodgings to their specific needs, but, when one considers leaving for the free part of Ukraine, it is not only the matter of transporting such persons under the conditions of uninterrupted fighting when combatants sometimes intentionally fire at buses with peaceful passengers, but it is also the matter of lodgings in the new place. Normally, the citizens who have moved, have to look for and hire flats by themselves, which is quite expensive. It is also worth mentioning that some people just do not wish to rent out their lodgings to the “DPR” supporters, families with invalids, animals, etc. Unfortunately, our government does very little to solve this problem, and the citizens are left one-to-one with their misfortunes. Many quite healthy and able to work persons who left at the beginning of the events, failed to find a job, lodgings, and, having run out of their savings, they returned home because “there is at lease a flat here”.

One more reason, characteristic for many patriots, is the wish to witness the happenings, remember, put down everything and provide the Ukrainian Armed Forces with information. Furthermore, many citizens provide also financial support, in case they succeed in earning some money.

Now it is very difficult, sometimes even impossible, to make some money in the City. Just imagine: pre-war Donetsk – the City with the population over one million, the fifth largest Ukrainian City according to the number of residents. In 2010, in the “Rating TOP-100. The Best Cities and Regions of Ukraine”, Donetsk was awarded with the first-degree diploma in the nomination “The Best City According to the Level of Social-Economic Development among the Cities with Population Exceeding 500 Thousand Persons”.

So, that whole solid activity of the large City was destroyed by the military invasion of Russian troops. Ukrainian banks began to leave this place even in the summer of 2014, “Oschadbank” (Public JSC “State Savings Bank of Ukraine”) being the last of them – in November 2014. Thereby, receiving pensions and the other social payments became possible only on the territory under the control of Ukraine (providing that they are re-registered there). By December 1, 2014, also all the companies receiving funds from the state budget and consequently all their staff, had moved to the territory of free Ukraine, and the teachers and students of universities moved, too. Major international chain supermarkets and brand shops left because of military threats and risks of plundering. For example, the mall Metro Cash and Carry, which was situated next to the airport, was attacked by combatants on May 28, 2014, it suffered the losses of one million euro, and it was among the first ones who left Donetsk. And its goods can be still found on the shelves of the “DPR’s” shops.

Companies gradually interrupted their operation, people were left without possibility to earn any money. By the autumn of 2014, charity organizations had not yet expanded their activities on a broad scale, but there had appeared some points at separate cafes, restaurants, canteens, shops where free lunch was available. I still remember one occasion in the autumn, when I met a man carrying a small loaf of bread in his hand, he raised the hand to his face and breathed in deeply the odour. Having caught my eye, he uttered the heartbreaking words: “You can’t imagine how it smells!” It was the autumn of 2014 when the first reports on cases of starvation appeared in Donetsk: they were lone aged persons, sick persons or the persons staying in the zone of constant firing. Volunteers were looking for such people, brought food to those who could not move by themselves. Operation of volunteers’ organizations was gradually improved, permission was received from “DPR” (of course, it was easier for it to impose the taking care of residents of the captured City on volunteers), and at least the less protected layers of population (aged persons and babies) were provided with necessary food.

It was more difficult for those who turned out unemployed or continued working for the remaining in the occupied area schools, hospitals, etc. The combatants who had grabbed the power, were forced at some moment to undertake provision of the citizens “saved” by them. Initially, they partly paid salaries to teachers in cash stolen in summer from Ukrainian banks, and they even did not try to conceal the fact (for example, some people noticed packs of money sealed by “Nadra Bank”). Besides, the payments were executed according to the principle – those who come first, get the money. In late winter – early spring of 2015, there appeared boastful announcements of the leadership of “DPR” on initiation of paying salaries in US dollars. My friend nurse confirmed the fact, just adding that 100$ were paid to herself and two her colleagues (i.e., they were paid 33,3$ per person!), and they were provided a possibility to divide the single banknote into three salaries by themselves. Of course, it is not the same as in Luhansk where salary is paid in a can of meat per two teachers, but you must admit that the style is similar.

Freelancers doing distance work have a relatively normal life. But there are not many of them here, and they also face many difficulties.

Want ads are also not too helpful for finding an appropriate job. Lately guards’ positions (on most occasions potential guards have to swear allegiance to “DPR”, and many citizens try to avoid that) or salespersons’ positions have been offered most frequently. But a want ad offering job to masseuses without professional experience, offering them also free lodgings, is the hit of this year of occupation! That is quite open recruitment for brothels!

Exchange advertisements have also appeared, for example, I have seen this one: “Exchange of 2 packs of pasta for an umbrella in good order”. One more characteristic feature of the present reality is the sale of goods in small amounts, for example, coffee in portions of 20-30 grams, since people may have not money enough to buy a whole pack. Food prices in the occupied area are twice, and for separate articles also three or four times as high as those in the free part of Ukraine. Just have a look and compare (prices on the territory of free Ukraine are indicated in brackets):

Milk (1 litre) – 28-32 hryvnas (10-12 hryvnas)

Buttermilk (0,5 litres) – 20 hryvnas (8-10 hryvnas)

Butter (200 grams) – ??? hryvnas (18-20 hryvnas)

Sunflower seed oil – (

Chicken fillet – 95 hryvnas (60-62 hryvnas)

Beef – 185 hryvnas (80-90 hryvnas)

Pork – 170 hryvnas (68-80 hryvnas)

Sugar – 25 hryvnas (10-14 hryvnas)

Eggs – 23-28 hryvnas (14-20 hryvnas)

Cucumbers – 22 hryvnas (12-15 hryvnas)

Tomatoes – 18-35 hryvnas (10-13 hryvnas)

Potatoes – 13-16 hryvnas (4-6 hryvnas)

Paprika – 22 hryvnas (4-7 hryvnas)

Aubergines – 16 hryvnas (3-5 hryvnas)

Carrots – 22-25 hryvnas (6-7 hryvnas)

Juice (1 litre) – 28-32 hryvnas (18-20 hryvnas)

The prices have grown, but people have less money, especially after the introduction of so called multi-currency zone which in reality is the rouble zone  with the compulsory rate of exchange of 1:2 (in Ukraine – 1:3). Of course, there are persons here whose wealth is rapidly increasing – they are our “liberators” and their loyal servants. Such situation always appears in war time.

So, the picture seems quite surrealistic, but we live this daily life.

I am convinced that the situation in my City and my country will soon end in a sweeping victory of Ukraine, because this is the side of light. Russia’s project of “New Russia” has failed, more and more citizens become aware that they have been cheated, they express more and more often openly their protest, finding some ways possible under the conditions of occupation: some of them arrange goods on shop shelves so that the yellow ones are next to the blue ones (the colours of Ukrainian flag), some of them have these colours in their garments, some of them write slogans “PTN-PNKh” (the meaning of which is similar to “Putin, go fuck yourself”), “DPR – Disgrace of Donbas!”, “Donetsk Is Ukraine!”, some of them share their findings that the songs of the group “Okean Elzi” (“Elsa’s Ocean” – one of the symbols of the Revolution of Honour and new Ukraine) are played instead of signals on the phone line of the Central Bank of “DPR” (the song “Vsyo Budet Dobre” – “Everything will Be All Right”) and in the shops of the former retail food store chain ATB misappropriated by the present leader of “DPR” A.Zakharchenko (the songs were played at least in the beginning, till the moment when they were noticed), and our brave grandmas and granddads, saying that they have nothing to lose anymore, are openly telling the combatants to go if not to the cemetery then to the place from where they have come.

Of course, there are also indifferent persons here, wishing peace to come as soon as possible, no matter with whom. To my mind, these people are in deep depression.

So, this maybe the answer to the question why me and the other patriots still stay in the dangerous Donetsk.

Veronica