Slavyansk and the neighboring city of Kramatorsk have become a zone of active military operations in Ukraine. Every day, dozens of people leave the area, and those who remain live in constant fear of air strikes. Three Russian air bombs caused serious damage to a residential area of Slavyansk on October 11.
"They pulled the woman out, and then the staircase collapsed"
One of them completely destroyed the entrance to a five-story panel block, injuring seven people. Tatyana, who lives across the street, was cooking in the kitchen at the time of the attack: "There was a loud explosion, pieces of broken glass from the windows flew everywhere, but fortunately I escaped without a scratch," she says.
According to her, the bomb hit the second floor of the building. "There were tenants living there, but that day the lights were off. They probably weren't home. On the fourth floor there was a woman who was screaming wildly. They pulled her out, and then the whole staircase collapsed," says Tatyana.
She doesn't want to leave Slavyansk, even though an evacuation order has been issued. "I have nowhere to go. My pension is 3,400 hryvnias. If they give me 2,000 hryvnias in resettlement assistance, I won't be able to survive on these 5,000 hryvnias - "The rent for the apartments now costs up to 20,000 a month," says the elderly woman.
"Is there anything dangerous in the sky"
The day after the attack, the few remaining residents of the affected multi-storey buildings continue to repair the damage. In the apartment next to the destroyed entrance, a man seems to be left alone in the entire building.
Even before the residents of the area had recovered from the first attack, a second one followed - this time the building housing a warming center, called by Ukrainians "the indestructible center", and a Red Cross office were hit. At least 8 people were injured.
"A plane in the sky" - announces one of the rescuers and everyone leaves the building for the nearest shelter. The residents of the neighborhood look scared, but they are in no hurry to hide in the basements – on the benches in front of the apartment building they wait for the air raid warning to be canceled.
Bread is not sold every day
Natalia comes to the neighborhood to take care of her twin sister. “She can no longer move. Today I couldn't even buy her bread, but I brought some crackers“, she says. Although some stalls are still operating at the market, bread is not sold every day. “I can't leave because I don't want to abandon my sick sister“, says the elderly woman.
She plans to leave on time so that she can get home while it's still light. It's almost four kilometers to get there, which Natalia has to walk, since public transport has not been running since October 10 – since two buses were hit in the neighboring city of Kramatorsk, killing 30 people.
Almost only the elderly are left
The center of Slavyansk has been almost completely destroyed by Russian bombs. However, some cafes and shops are still operating here. If before the war about 100 thousand people lived in the city, today no more than 20 thousand remain. Most of the people we meet on the streets are elderly people who cannot leave the city.
On the street, covered with anti-drone nets, two elderly women are talking. “I can't remember the last time I slept at night“, complains pensioner Irina. “I take valerian tablets, but they don't help. I'm very scared, but I have nowhere to go. I have two cats, they won't take me with them - they say I have to leave them. And I love them more than my life. They are all I have“, says the old woman.
"All you can do is pray that it will pass you by"
„All you can do is hide, tremble and pray to God that it will pass you by“, adds Irina. „I press myself against the wall and cry. I am leaving for the market and I don't know if I will make it. I walk and look at the sky, to see if something is flying.“ The central market, where Irina is headed, was attacked by Russian drones a month ago. At least three people were injured then. Since then, there have been fewer sellers and buyers at the market.
Saleswoman Valeria has taken her five-year-old daughter Sofia with her to work. Kindergartens are closed. And the forced evacuation of families with children has not yet reached Slavyansk, where her family lives. “We are used to it - we evacuated in 2022, but we returned. Now we are waiting for our turn to evacuate again,” says Valeria.
And her colleague Tatyana has brought her granddaughter. She has already packed her luggage and is taking advantage of the fact that the post office is still open to send it to the Dnepropetrovsk region, where their new home is. “We are sad that they are destroying our Ukraine. Who will rebuild our cities now?” she says, barely holding back tears.
“We dream of staying”, says Maria - a young woman who also works as a saleswoman. She is waiting for her husband from the front. Her sister is also serving in the army, and her brother died, leaving five children orphaned.
“My whole family is in the cemetery”
The women have no hope for a truce. “Putin does not want peace”, says Tatyana. “There is no work in Slavyansk anymore, all the factories have been destroyed”, says Gennady, who used to work in a ceramic tile factory. He does not plan to evacuate. “First, I have a cat. Second, my whole family is already in the cemetery”, he explains.
He is already used to drones and bombs. He is most afraid when the enemy is shelling the city with multiple rocket launchers: then there is no time for warning and people do not manage to hide in time. "As they say: we are still alive - we will not die, and if we die - we will not even understand," says Gennady, laughing. But he is clearly nervous. "It is very difficult, to be honest. Mentally we can no longer stand it," adds the man.
Author: Hanna Sokolova