6 o’clock in the morning. It’s been 2 hours since the sun rose. Velika Novosilka is a small town in southeastern Ukraine. No traffic. There are no vehicles except those of the army. A stone piled municipal building. Residential complex with broken windows. Cafe-Supermarket sign boards remain to tell that there was a quiet life here in the past. Still, there are some residential houses left!
Blahodatne is not even like this 3 km away. A ghost village abandoned by humans. There is no house that is not destroyed by shelling. He was in the hands of Russian forces for several months. Ukraine was later retaken. The only signs of life in the village are the pet dogs abandoned by the people. With each shot they would bark, then settle down again.
I was traveling in a Ukrainian army car. When asked to stop and take pictures, the driver Victor said – “It’s an accident.” There will be landmines on country roads. It is safe to shoot video in the car.
Victor showed a boundary of 600 meters to the east. “They are the trenches where the Russian troops stay. They will see us. If you stand any longer, you may be shot. Or they will fly drones with bombs.”
He suddenly realized that he saw the trenches of the Ukrainian army on the west side. This is ‘No Man’s Land’! A place at gunpoint of both armies. Viktor drove like a race driver on the way back.
Military vehicles are seen in the war zone in eastern Ukraine. Not tanks and armored vehicles, but olive green cars and pickup trucks. These vehicles carry weapons, food and bring soldiers back to their camps. Sova was seen in such a vehicle in the town of Siversk near Bahmut. He joined the army immediately after leaving college. No significant military experience.
A temporary shooting range has been set up here for machine gun practice. Half an hour training under the supervision of 2 accompanying senior soldiers. By the time they returned, the next group had arrived. For non-beginners, practice handling rocket propelled grenades. Many such shooting ranges are within 5-6 km from the war front.
8 Ukrainians and a Russian journalist were killed
Kiev / Moscow ∙ 8 Ukrainian citizens, including a couple, were killed in Russia’s attack. A Russian journalist was also killed in Ukraine’s shelling in Zaporizhia. The Russian offensive was in Bahmut, Chernivtsi and Kostiantynivka in Donetsk. Houses, cars and gas pipelines were destroyed.
Rostislav Shuravlev, a war correspondent for the Russian news agency RIA, was killed in Ukrainian shelling in Zaporizhia. 3 other journalists were injured. Russia accused Ukraine of using cluster bombs. Ukraine has also been accused of using cluster bombs in the Russian border city of Bilgorod. In Zaporizhia itself, 3 Ukrainian citizens have been injured in Russia’s attack. Zaporizhia is home to Europe’s largest nuclear power plant.
English Summary: A ghost village at gunpoint in Ukraine
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2023-07-22 21:51:35
