Village Octyabrskiy. Hope and belief

War…I see ruins, mad, exhausted people, police at the

guard, damaged trunks of trees and wooden crosses, crosses, crosses…All this are at the eyes, mixed, and confused.

Rolan Rogers Wooden Crosses

Soon will be the third anniversary when hatred of Kiev to Donbass population that just wanted to live having honored its history, turned to the war. Shelling stops neither in day time, nor at night turned the front line into ruins among which civil population keeps on living, however it is frightful and death is around…

Village Octyabrskiy is a part f the Kuibishev district, is very close to the airport named after Sergey Prokofiev that became a stage for cruel battles between AFU and average people of Donbass who started defending their land.

Airport was reconstructed before the war, n 2011 to the Euro 2012, the village Octyabrskiy was considered to be prestigious place to live. When the war came, the village became at the frontline, and Ukrainian punitives regularly subjected it to the shelling.

Donbass militia liberated the airport from Ukrainian military units in January 2015, however, it has been severely shelling, significant part of population keep on living in damaged houses, showing to the entire world the example of heroism.

Lyuba, her husband Alexey and their two children are among these people who took decision to stay at home and to resist to hatred and death. Lyuba has relatives in Ukraine, that’s why she asked journalists of Novorossia  Today not to show her face.

Life here changed crucially three years ago: death, destroying came here that crashed hopes and dreams. When the Maidan led to the state coup, Lyuba could not even imagine that the life will be turned out to the hell.

Family that lived in several hundred meters from the airport occurred in the center of the one of the cruelest battles in Donbass.

Shelling was so strong and constant that ambulance could not arrive to provide medical aid to civilians.

Shelling was so strong and constant that ambulance could not arrive to provide medical aid to civilians.

Power was broke there, gas line destroyed, and houses fell down as a result of artillery and tank shelling. Younger son who was born in 2013 overcame the strongest nervous shock, he stopped speaking. Now doctors are examining him. Lyuba and Alexey are trying to give all their love to their children, and to avert their attention from the shelling.

Good defeats death always, and dwellers of the village hope that peace will be soon on their streets.

Report prepared by Yana Basha, Svetlana Kissileva, Erwan Kastel

Translated into English by Nataliya Sinyavskaya

.