in Bakhmout, in the east of the country, the inhabitants are still reluctant to leave

Bakhmout is located only six kilometers from the Russian positions. A third of its inhabitants have already fled, leaving deserted streets, delivered to tanks. Olena and her family decided to stay. Her mother-in-law has been bedridden for five years and would not tolerate a trip. With their four-year-old daughter, Tania, they try to hide the war at the gates of the city. “Last night, when there were bombings, I put the TV up louder so she wouldn’t hear. A week ago, when Bakhmout was heavily shelled, she woke up twice during the night. She’s scared, she wakes up, she doesn’t understand what’s going on“, testifies Olena.

She concedes to make him believe that the detonations of certain bombardments are in fact only noises of objects which fall on the ground. Hiding the truth from children in an attempt to protect them is the last weapon available to these parents who, for lack of means, cannot leave town.