Ukrainian soldiers, rebels and civilians have been killed in the latest spate of violence. European officials have warned of a humanitarian disaster after power outages left thousands to cope in sub-zero temperatures.
Advertisement
At least 13 civilians and fighters have been killed in the latest escalation of violence in eastern Ukraine, Kyiv and rebel authorities said on Tuesday.
Kyiv announced that eight government troops have been killed and another 26 wounded since Sunday, when clashes erupted between rebel and Ukrainian forces, marking the heaviest losses for the military since last month.
"The current escalation in Donbass is a clear indication of Russia's continued blatant disregard of its commitments under the Minsk agreements with a view of preventing the stabilization of the situation and achieving any progress in the security and humanitarian fears," Ukraine's foreign ministry said.
However, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov accused Ukrainian government soldiers of launching a deadly attack on rebels across the Avdiivka frontline on Monday.
"Such aggressive actions, supported by the armed forces of Ukraine, undermine the aims and the task of realizing the Minks accord," Peskov said. He added that the attack aimed to distract attention from domestic problems in Ukraine.
Since the conflict erupted in April 2014, both sides have accused each other of fomenting unrest and launching attacks in violation of ceasefire agreements.
Minsk II, a second agreement signed last year by members of the international community and representatives of the warring parties, aimed to ease tensions in the rebel-held regions after the previous ceasefire deal collapsed.
However, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe's (OSCE) monitoring mission in eastern Ukraine has reported violations on a nearly-daily basis.
Ukraine: Living on the front lines
Under nightly mortar fire, thousands of elderly and impoverished civilians continue living on and between the front lines in East Ukraine’s ‘gray zone.’ Diego Cupolo reports from Donetsk.
Image: DW/D. Cupolo
Caught in the crossfire
Every evening, the shelling begins around sunset. The front lines near Donetsk see nightly mortar and machine gun fire as the conflict between the Ukrainian military and pro-Russian separatists’ rages on. Caught in the crossfire are many elderly civilians who are too impoverished to go elsewhere. Ivan Polansky, above, surveys the damage on his home in Zhovanka.
Image: DW/D. Cupolo
‘Waiting for a shell’
Residents of Zhovanka in the so-called ‘gray zone,’ a thin strip of land separating warring militaries, line up to see a visiting doctor. Medics hold pop-up clinics in the town once a week. "Each day, you are waiting for the shell to land on your house and you never know when it’s going to come," said local resident Ludmila Studerikove.
Image: DW/D. Cupolo
Without electricity and heating
Zhovanka was once home to 1,000 people, but the number has dwindled to about 200 since the war began in mid-2014. It has been three months since residents have had electricity and gas. "Sometimes I’m so scared that I lay in bed at night and just shake,” Studerikove said. “My husband stays by my side and holds my hand."
Image: DW/D. Cupolo
Nowhere else to go
Olexander Voroshkov, program coordinator for the regional charity SOS Kramatorsk, said residents continue to live in half-destroyed homes with leaky roofs, even through the winters, because rent in nearby Ukrainian cities has skyrocketed since the beginning of the conflict. "Rents in Kramatorsk are now similar to those in Kiev, but the salaries are much lower than in Kiev," Voroshkov said.
Image: DW/D. Cupolo
Reliance on humanitarian aid
Women line up to receive medicine and multivitamins in Zhovanka. Food and humanitarian supplies are delivered to the town by charity organizations, as crossing checkpoints sometimes requires people to wait more than a day in line. "We had everything; we had fresh air, nature. It was very nice here. Now we just have the cold," said local resident Vera Sharovarova.
Image: DW/D. Cupolo
Adapting to DNR frontlines
Vera Anoshyna, left, speaks with neighbors in Spartak, a town in what is now the Donetsk People’s Republic (DNR). Anoshyna said she has done her best to adapt to the conflict. "If you don’t have water, you find it," she said. "If you don’t have electricity, you find a solution. But you never know where the next bomb will land."
Image: DW/D. Cupolo
Six broken ribs
Svetlana Zavadenko stands before her home in Spartak. She was injured when the walls collapsed after several mortars exploded in her yard. Neighbors had to dig Zavadenko out of the rubble and she was sent to the hospital with six broken ribs and a ruptured liver. She smokes “Minsk” brand cigarettes and laughs when asked what she thinks about the war.
Image: DW/D. Cupolo
'We lost hope'
Zavadenko recovered from her injuries and lives alone with several pets. Spartak has not had electricity, gas, or water services since 2014, so she uses a grill to cook her food. For firewood, she goes to an abandoned furniture factory nearby and collects plywood. "Last winter we thought [the war] would finish, but now, honestly, we lost hope," she said.
Image: DW/D. Cupolo
Possibility of a drawdown
Damage from shelling on the outskirts of Donetsk. Despite past failures in deescalating the war, a new ceasefire may be in sight after an October peace summit in Berlin, where Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said he was ready to end hostilities in eastern Ukraine and would withdraw troops from the region.
Image: DW/D. Cupolo
'We lost too many soldiers to stop now'
Even if both sides agree on a ceasefire, they will face opposition from their militaries, who claim their sacrifices were too heavy to simply put down their weapons. "We lost too many soldiers to stop now," said Vladimir Parkhamovich, colonel of the 81st Airmobile Brigade in the Ukrainian military. "If they give us an order [to stop] we’ll consider them traitors."
Image: DW/D. Cupolo
10 images1 | 10
'Worsening humanitarian situation'
The head of Europe's premier human rights body, Council of Europe (CoE), warned that the hostilities were having consequences on civilian life. Power outages across the area left thousands to deal with sub-zero temperatures in the middle of winter.
"I am deeply concerned by news from Donbass and reports of heavy fighting, resulting in the loss of lives and a worsening humanitarian situation affecting many civilians, including children," CoE Secretary General Thorbjorn Jagland said.
"We are particularly concerned about the humanitarian situation in the cities of Donbass, notably in Avdiivka. I call on all sides to immediately stop hostilities and respect the ceasefire as defined in the Minsk agreement," he added.
More than 10,000 people have been killed - half of them civilians - since 2014. The conflict has affected more than 500,000 children, with half of them internally displaced by the fighting, according to UN figures.
The OSCE's chief monitor Ertugrul Apakan called on all sides of the conflict to cease hostilities in order to ease the humanitarian situation.
"Escalation in the area is of grave concern, with the civilian population greatly suffering," Apakan said. "Violence on such a scale, involving the loss of life, is unacceptable and the protection of civilians must be paramount."