Ukrainian crisis: at the heart of Donbass

For hundreds of meters, we see only collapsed roofs and gutted facades. In the small village ofOktyabrsky (Donbass)between 2014 and 2015, the fighting to take the airport was particularly violent. Today, Oktyabrsky looks like a ghost town. “Ukraine has destroyed the Donbass”testifies a resident.

For eight years, part of this territory has been controlled by pro-Russian separatists. Clashes with Ukrainian forces continue along the line of contact between the Donbass and Ukraine. In the village ofOktyabrskya resident is forcedfor lack of resources, to stay two kilometers from the front line. In her cellar, she has built a makeshift shelter where her family hides at the slightest alarm. A new church is under construction, after the village church was destroyed in 2014-2015.