Groups of volunteers, foreign or Ukrainian, participate in the evacuation of civilians in the villages near the front line. Franceinfo interviewed some of them.
“Last year, I helped a Ukrainian woman, raped by Russian soldiers and whose husband had been killed, to go to Austria. I realized that I could be useful in this way.” Ignatius Ivlev-Yorke evokes the encounter that changed his daily life in a neutral tone, as if it were a banal event. This former photojournalist is however one of the dozens of volunteers, foreign or Ukrainian, who are now organizing the evacuation of civilians on the Donbass front zone.
Some of these exfiltrations are carried out by the “White Angels”, a unit of the Donetsk police that The world followed. “The authorities are doing their best, but their capacities have limits”, tip, in early April, the 27-year-old Briton. It is in these cases that teams like his come into action.
Residents sometimes “surprised by the advance of the front line”
Since the summer of 2022, the group of 12 volunteers led by “Iggy” has helped “3,000 to 4,000 people” in the Donbass. Evacuation orders were issued several weeks ago for this region in the east of the country, where the fighting is concentrated. “It is an extremely militarized zone: we are always close to an infrastructure which is a potential target”, explains Achille Després, spokesperson for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Ukraine. But “vssome civilians were unable to leave because they were in great difficulty, elderly or disabled”he points.
Like this resident, rescued by Kuba Stasiak. “She was sleeping when I arrived. I woke her up and she hugged me, very moved”, says this 29-year-old Pole, also at the head of a group of volunteer rescuers. “She had spent months stuck in this apartment, without electricity. I felt like I was pulling her out of a coma.”
Other civilians were “surprised by the advance of the front line”not realizing the proximity of the fighting, according to Achille Després. “Some residents have a glorified vision of the Ukrainian army: they tell themselves that their soldiers cannot lose ground, that they are still safe”confirms Dimitri Thellier, a French intern who completed a two-week rotation in Kuba Stasiak’s team at the end of February.
“These towns and villages do not turn into a war zone in 24 hours: the fighting is slowly approaching, the shells too. The inhabitants think that they still have time to make up their minds and then, one day, they realize that the situation has become too dangerous to move.”
Ignatius Ivlev-Yorke, British volunteerat franceinfo
That’s when volunteers come in. “We are contacted by local authorities or by people who want to be exfiltratedexplains Kuba Stasiak. We also try to carry out regular patrols in the ‘centers of invincibility’ where people go to get access to the internet and basic necessities.” The objective: to make themselves known to these civilians and gain their trust, to encourage them to leave this area of all dangers.
“A lot of time spent waiting”
“You cannot force people to leave, especially when they are resigned to stay even if it costs them their life”, emphasizes Ignatius Ivlev-Yorke. In Bakhmout and the surrounding area, “there have been many evacuation opportunities since the beginning of the war”concedes Achille Després. “But some refused: I met a 19-year-old who wanted to stay with his grandfather, who didn’t want to leave his house despite the fighting”recalls the ICRC spokesperson.
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Sometimes these Ukrainians also struggle to leave behind “the only environment they have ever known, when they have no family anywhere else”adds Kuba Stasiak. “And then there are those who are influenced by Russian propaganda and who believe that the strikes are carried out by the Ukrainians”, continues this former journalist, who answers questions for franceinfo from the town of Kostiantynivka, 40 kilometers from Bakhmout. Between sentences, he pauses to listen to the incessant sound of shells crashing nearby.
The pace of these shipments varies greatly from one period to another, depending on demand and opportunities. “We go on for several days in a row, then nothing”recognizes Kuba Stasiak. “Evacuating civilians is a lot of time spent waiting: for the car to be repaired, for information on the people to be recovered or on the military situation, for the weather to be good…”adds Dimitri Thellier.
Intervene despite “the visceral fear for his life”
The last few months have been exhausting. In the dead of winter, the city of Bakhmout became a hotspot in the conflict between Russian and Ukrainian forces. The “Iggy” team carried out its last mission there at the end of March. “The army had to evacuate a family, who had decided to leave after their son was burned alive in a house hit by a strike, says the volunteer. The soldiers’ vehicle broke down, so we were asked to pick them up.” A particularly risky move, when the roads were almost all controlled by Russian forces. “When we arrived, the grandmother did not want to leave, while her children and her husband were leaving”, continues Ignatius Ivlev-Yorke.
“We were in the street, very exposed. I tried to convince her for two minutes, the time to load the car, then we had to leave and leave her there.”
Ignatius Ivlev-Yorke, a British volunteerat franceinfo
“When we manage to get people out in such dangerous conditions, it’s a huge relief”, says Kuba Stasiak. Especially since these volunteers “risk their lives” to rescue the few civilians who remained near the front, without necessarily having any military or first aid experience. When franceinfo contacted him in early April, Ignatius Ivlev-Yorke had just completed first aid training.
Dimitri Thellier had already been instructed in emergency medicine in the context of war. “I didn’t need my medical skills so much during the mission, but this training was invaluable once in the fieldhe testifies. Une night, we were expecting two comrades with whom we had lost radio contact and a shell exploded above our heads. I realized that I was well trained because I didn’t stay flabbergasted, I immediately threw myself on the ground.”
But there is one thing that no training can prepare for: “the visceral fear for his life, his physical integrity”, points the French internal. Fear for his comrades, too. “Deaths, I’ve seen a lot of them as a doctor. But it’s different when it comes to people with whom we have shared something strong”, recalls Dimitri Thellier.
Instagram, psychological and financial support
Since the end of winter, Kuba Stasiak has learned of the deaths of several members of other volunteer groups. “It’s a small environment so it necessarily affects usadmits the Pole. Since then, I feel extra pressure.” To deal with it, the young man plans to take “a month of rest, far from the front”.
“This mission requires a lot of empathy. To be able to best help these inhabitants, I have to recharge my batteries.”
Kuba Stasiak, Polish volunteer,at franceinfo
Waiting to be able to take this “break”, the volunteer relies on the support of the community that follows him on social networks. Like Ignatius Ivlev-Yorke, he regularly shares photos and videos of his interventions on Instagram. If the primary objective is to “documenting the reality of war”it also allows these volunteers to collect donations for their operations. “People want to help us, paying medical bills if foreign team members are injured, or everyday expenses like gasoline”explicit “Iggy”.
Because these volunteers donate their time and energy, but also their money. Dimitri Thellier has left France “by his own means, with his car, without insurance to cover material and physical damage” during his stay in Ukraine. “I bought my protections and my bulletproof vest myself, which I left with another volunteer when I left. In total, this mission cost me between 4,000 and 6,000 euros”, he explains. If friends have it “helped with some donations”he is now waiting to replenish his savings before returning to the front.
Sharing this experience on social networks does not only serve a financial interest. “It’s a necessity: it allows me to externalize the anger and anxiety that could overwhelm me after a year of doing this job”, Kuba Stasiak gasps, exhaustion in his voice. For the Polish volunteer, Instagram has become “like group therapy” in the face of the atrocities of the Ukrainian conflict. “I don’t feel alone in all of this.he confides. And it’s an additional force to help Ukrainian civilians.”