- Hello! We came to visit you! - Hello!
- Our washing machine is broken. Went broken. We have two toilets. - Do you have hot water? - Yes, we take the bath. We have even a shower room, you can shoot it. Two toilets also. - Oh, it's a shower! - Yes! Thanks to people. They helped us. How can you imagine a life without taking a shower?
Now it's all okay here. All this is fixed by the people - everything is painted, toilets are placed here. I wish them good health! - What is inside these barrels? - Water. We fill them with water that then goes to the boiler so that we can take a shower.
We fill both of them and use the water for washing the dishes also and washing our clothes. - Who is financing this? Who helped you to make all this work? - Oh, I don't remember them, the people helped - we had one barrel and they gave us another one.
In winter we had electricity. Though now there is not a single light bulb left.
- What have you heard? - Bad things. That something so terrible is about to start... I don't know... something negative.
- Tell us where are we located? - The "Trudovskaya" bomb shelter, the "Trudovskaya" mine. And what's next? - Which is located in the city... - ... in the city of Donetsk. - Yes, in the city of Donetsk. You know, we are already a bit... - How far is the frontline?
- Nearby... - How far? - I don't even know. - Not far. - Yes, quite close. - What is the situation? Do they shell often here? - It came quieter lately. - Though we are in the middle, it's cold and we do not go outside so often... but certainly they shell.
Not as heavy as before but still they shell. It happens. Sveta, come here!
So yes... it happens. We've been staying here for over 7 years already. - Come here to talk, Sveta! - Who is it? - The people! Can't you see? What's the business of yours? - Hello! - One minute!
- So you sleep here, right? - Yes, it's here. - I sleep right here! - Why? - Because we are too afraid to go home. If you go home... - There are half-destroyed houses. - For example, my house is long, for 12 families. Now there live only 2. And nobody else. - Is it dangerous?
- Certainly yes! - Why? - Because they shoot! It's not so far! - Who shoots? - What do you mean by "who"? Who else? Ukraine! The Ukrainians! - Why, in your opinion, they shoot at your street? - It's not about a street, it's about the whole settlement. - Why do they do this?
- How can we know why, what's there on their mind? We want peace! We want children to go to school, us to walk safely, people not to be afraid of anything! We want people to live again in their houses and everything to be well back again.
When will all this stop? Nobody knows. Can you imagine?! We've been living here for over 7 years already! Certainly, we want to finally leave this place! In summer, it's warm here but in winter, it's cold of course. We sleep in our outerwear. It's not okay.
And also our health... it's not so well, we survive only with medicines. We want peace so much! Soon 8 years already! We want peace and our children go to school. Here are only pensioners. How come I should live in a cellar? - What will happen next? - Next will be only better! We hope for the better. One must hope for the better!
- The negotiations between Russia and the USA are being held on different international platforms lately. What do you think, can they lead to the improvement of the situation? - They can! We think it will improve! - Maybe they will agree on something. It can't be so that they will not. They can do it at last, can't they?
How long it can continue like this? The life in fear. - Yesterday they held negotiations on... - We didn't watch. - ...I tell you, yesterday the UN Security Council held the meeting about the alleged Russian aggression towards Ukraine. What do you think, is it true or not? - No! - Is it reasonable or not? Your personal opinion. And how important is it to do this?
- Russia will never attack first. - How about you? - I also think that Russia will never be the one that starts. It'll never start. It won't let it happen! Over 7 years already and now they let us be attacked? There is already a war but... they will not let this happen! Imagine how many people can die!
So many children died! So many people! So many houses were destroyed! - Whose fault is this, in your opinion? - Ukraine! - Who else?! Ukraine! Who has started this? Who's started, that one is to be blamed on. We didn't expect that they will overtake us so fast - overtake "Trudovsakaya". In one moment!
In just 5 minutes they overtook... Mariinka. So many people died! In the milk plant or where? - And in the tire plant also! - Yes, so many! So many people died! So many children! So many people! So many houses were destroyed!
And now what? Will they provide us with anything? Nobody knows when it happens. - Tell us, how many people live here nowadays? - 9 persons. All are locals.
We get on well together and hope for the better! Now we hope! Can you imagine, the war was not as long as it's been going now - over 7 years!
- Who are those 9 people that live here? - Some of them are at work. The woman that stays here is at work. One man went to see his friend. Slavik left to get some medicine. There is another woman that can't get up. So 9 people in total. Usman is also at work.
- How long do you stay here? - We are here since 2014. All of us. There have been 300 people here in 2014. Everybody was sleeping everywhere, it was impossible to pass here. There has been no space. Everybody from Trudovskaya street was coming here because it was nowhere to go. We were hiding here.
Those who are left now have nowhere to go. I have nowhere to go. - Can you please remind us what is your name? - Galina. - Do you remember the first day you came to this bomb shelter? - I've been sitting with other women out in the street and they started to shell.
We didn't understand what was happening. It was Grad then. And it was very close to us. So we left our benches and started to run. Then I started to come here at night. It was okay during the daytime. - Is your house far from here? - No, it is behind the coal mine. It is called Bisovsky village.
There were 12 families living there, but it was hit by the shellings. - Where are your relatives? - My granddaughter left for Stavropol. And my daughter lives not far from here, she has a one-room apartment. - Do you have DPR passports? - No, not everyone has received them.
- Are there some difficulties? - It takes a long time to wait in line. It takes a year and a half to receive this passport. - But do you want to receive the citizenship of DPR or Russia? - Of course, we will receive it. We want us to be a part of it. Now we are not a part of anything. Now we are nowhere.
Thanks to Putin for providing us with pensions. We don't receive pensions from Ukraine as there is no way to go there. - Oh look, some more.. - What has to happen for the war to end? - They have to agree. - Who has to agree? - Ukraine with Russia. They need to agree with Putin.
- So not with the DPR, but directly with Putin? - Of course. They need to finally agree on the Minsk agreements. How long will it take us to stay here? The other day a child was walking here and then got hit by the shelling. That is not okay.
- How often do you hear shellings here? Did it get more intense? - It's been less frequent for a month now. From time to time. - But the shellings still happen? - Yes. - And at what time do they shell? - It depends. Sometimes in the morning. Sometimes at 10 am.. Well, anytime.
It is unexpecting. You just walk and then it starts. - When we go out we never know where to run. - When I go to visit my daughter I always hope they won't start to shell.
- we live here for more than 7 years, but people think that we don't live here. That we left. But we continue to live here. Where else shall we go? I live on the edge of the town, but I'm afraid to go home. It is a dangerous spot.
- Is your house destroyed? - the windows are broken, the roof is damaged. When I walk there I burst into tears. - Everything is damaged, no place is untouched.. It is good that there is this guy, I ask him to walk with me, because I am afraid to walk there alone.
I hope people with hear us and see in what conditions we live here, so it will all end soon. God grant that this year will be the last. - What about the food and water? - We have water, a toilet.. - Everyone has his own stove, and also we have heaters. But that's not okay. We cover ourselves with blankets and we sleep in clothes to get warm, as it is cold here.
But we got used to it. What else to do? Now it is cold outside, but in summer you got out and leave quickly because it is scary. the other time they got under fire, bullets were flying. That is not okay.
- How do you all get along here? You are all different here, you are not even relatives. - It's okay, we got used to each other. - But everyone cooks for himself. - What about that woman that is lying here, is she ill? - Yes, she can't get up. - Is she paralyzed? - Her legs are swollen, she also has her arm broken. A man will come soon, he might tell more about it. I don't know for sure. She is young, she is around 55 years old.
- Do you help her? - She has a man to help her. When he asks to look after her, I do, as she might fall. She has seizures sometimes, epilepsy. It's good that he endures her still. They just live together. She was kicked out of the dorm, so she came here. She also has nowhere to live. Just as him.
- Does someone help you? Maybe some charity organizations? - No, only the Red Cross. - How does the Red Cross help? - They bring the products. I just want someone to help this woman. She doesn't receive anything. She had some kind of disability group, but now she doesn't receive any help. She receives only the pension now.
It is impossible to live on such money. And there are two of them. If you call the emergency, then you need to buy the medicine, and it gets more and more expensive. I don't know if someone will manage to help her. It's a pity. She was a very pretty woman. And now she's probably 70 kilograms, she's lost weight terribly. - Thank you, goodbye!
Goodbye! - All the best!