In shadow of war, Ukrainians seek to vote for peace
People line up as a border guard checks their luggage before they go through passport control, after crossing the contact line between pro-Moscow rebels and Ukrainian troops in Mayorsk, Ukraine February 25, 2019. REUTERS/Gleb Garanich
ZAITSEVE, Ukraine (Reuters) - There are not many people left in Zaitseve, a village on the front line that divides Ukraine, but voters like Galina Soboleva want just one thing from this month's presidential election.
"Whoever promises us peace, to rebuild our homes, we will vote for them. That's all we need," the pensioner said.
Ukrainian border guards check cars at a checkpoint at the contact line between pro-Russian rebels and Ukrainian troops in Mayorsk, Ukraine, February 25, 2019. More than a million people cross the 500 km contact line every year, many of them are pensioners who spend hours queuing, in cold, heat, rain or snow, as they rely on state benefits that can only be obtained on the government-controlled side. REUTERS/Gleb Garanich
Destruction and damage are widespread after five years of conflict over eastern Ukraine between government forces and Russian-backed separatists. Around 13,000 people have been killed, a quarter of them civilians, according to the United Nations Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine.
Troops are stationed in trenches outside Zaitseve and government trucks risk rebel fire to bring bread, coal, firewood and other goods along a dirt road. Employees from the state-run Oschadbank travel by armoured truck to a nearby checkpoint, to allow residents on both sides of the conflict to withdraw money.
Some six hundred kilometres (400 miles) away in Kiev, President Petro Poroshenko has made standing up to Russia a central thrust of what has become a tough political battle for reelection. Those planning to take part in the March 31 presidential vote say the conflict is the single biggest issue facing the country but struggle to identify who can best end it.
People cross the contact line between pro-Moscow rebels and Ukrainian troops as Ukrainian border guard guards in Mayorsk, Ukraine February 25, 2019. REUTERS/Gleb Garanich
Zaitseve, in the country's mainly Russian-speaking Donetsk region, was captured by rebels in the early months of the campaign and could not vote in the 2014 election that brought Poroshenko to power. The village was re-taken by government troops in summer 2015 but peace is still elusive.
"We don't see anything yet, no improvements so far," local activist and aid volunteer Tetyana Durneva said. "Fighting is going on all the time - yesterday it was really thundering."
People line up after crossing the contact line between pro-Moscow rebels and Ukrainian troops as they wait at passport control in Mayorsk, Ukraine February 25, 2019. REUTERS/Gleb Garanich
Ukrainian servicemen play with a small goat as they deliver bread to a local resident in the village of Zaitseve, Ukraine, February 23, 2019. There are not many people left in Zaitseve, a village on the front line that divides Ukraine between government-controlled territory and the enclave controlled by Russian-backed separatist forces. Troops are stationed in trenches outside Zaitseve and government trucks risk rebel fire to bring bread, coal, firewood and other goods along a dirt road. REUTERS/Gleb Garanich
'WE NEED PEACE'
In 2014, after the Maidan street protests ousted Kremlin-friendly president Viktor Yanukovich, Russia invaded and annexed the Crimea peninsula. Ukraine says Russia then engineered quasi-separatist uprisings across a belt of eastern Ukraine that escalated into a full-scale conflict. Russia denies doing so.
Ukrainian serviceman is seen at the front line in the village of Zaitseve, Ukraine February 23, 2019. REUTERS/Gleb Garanich
Two so-called "People's Republics" – unrecognized by either Kiev or Moscow – have formed in the Donetsk and Luhansk industrial regions of eastern Ukraine, known as Donbass.
In Donetsk city, few people are likely to vote, because they would have to cross the front line to register; some of those interviewed said the candidates were as bad as each other.
"They all hate us," said Yulia, declining to give her second name. "Why? Because they lived off our backs," she added in a reference to the region's communist-era industries, many of which have now closed. "Donbass fed them their whole lives and all the time it got worse for us."
Local resident Vitaliy Kudla, 86, is seen in a building where he lives, as his house was damaged by shelling in the village of Zaitseve, Ukraine February 26, 2019. There are not many people left in Zaitseve, a village on the front line that divides Ukraine between government-controlled territory and the enclave controlled by Russian-backed separatist forces. Troops are stationed in trenches outside Zaitseve and government trucks risk rebel fire to bring bread, coal, firewood and other goods along a dirt road. REUTERS/Gleb Garanich
Ukraine, Western countries and NATO accuse Russia of sending troops and heavy weapons to prop up the separatists. Reuters has also documented the involvement of Russian troops and tanks.
Moscow says it only provides political and humanitarian support to rebels and says Russians fighting in Ukraine are volunteers. The Minsk ceasefire agreement in 2015 staunched the worst of the bloodshed but troops continue to die regularly.
Poroshenko's two main rivals - former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko and comic actor Volodymyr Zelenskiy - say they will approach peace talks differently, bringing the United States and other countries to the table. But it is unclear whether they would change the status quo.
People line up after crossing the contact line between pro-Moscow rebels and Ukrainian troops as they wait at passport control in Mayorsk, Ukraine February 25, 2019. REUTERS/Gleb Garanich
Residents in Zaitseve were reluctant to reveal their voting intentions but Zelenskiy, a political novice, leads recent opinion polls of those willing and able to vote in the east.
Some families are divided by the conflict, like that of Nikolai Yushkov, a 70-year-old pensioner living in the nearby village of Mayorsk. While he, his son and daughter live on government-controlled land, another daughter lives under separatist control, where the election is not being held.
"Everyone says: you need to sit down and you need to negotiate," he said. "Peace. We need peace."
Ukrainian border guard checks a car at a checkpoint at the contact line between pro-Russian rebels and Ukrainian troops in Mayorsk, Ukraine February 25, 2019. More than a million people cross the 500 km contact line every year, many of them are pensioners who spend hours queuing, in cold, heat, rain or snow, as they rely on state benefits that can only be obtained on the government-controlled side. REUTERS/Gleb Garanich
The single-storey building he shares with another family has survived shelling that destroyed surrounding buildings but is just 600 metres from the separatist trenches. One outer wall, destroyed by fighting, has been replaced by a stack of firewood.
There are well over a million crossings of the 500 km contact line every month, many of them by pensioners who spend hours queuing - in cold, heat, rain or snow - as they rely on state benefits only available on the government-controlled side.
The government and organisations like the United Nations have sought to improve conditions at the checkpoints, providing heated tents, toilets, advice on avoiding landmines, and making border guards wear body cameras to prevent corruption.
Local resident Vitaliy Kudla, 86, is seen in a building where he lives, as his house was damaged by shelling in the village of Zaitseve, Ukraine February 26, 2019. There are not many people left in Zaitseve, a village on the front line that divides Ukraine between government-controlled territory and the enclave controlled by Russian-backed separatist forces. Troops are stationed in trenches outside Zaitseve and government trucks risk rebel fire to bring bread, coal, firewood and other goods along a dirt road. REUTERS/Gleb Garanich
Raisa Taranenko, 73, whose family shares the building with Yushkov, also shared his desire for an end to the war. "But it's not clear how the situation will develop, there is no hope for anything," she said. "Everything is getting worse and worse."
Poroshenko came to power in 2014 promising to end the war within weeks and eventually take Ukraine into NATO. Under his administration spending on defence has been ramped up to 5 percent of gross domestic product from 3 percent in 2013.
The war is still going on but the army is better equipped and has, under U.S. President Donald Trump's administration, been supplied with Javelin missiles.
A house damaged by shelling is seen in the village of Zaitseve, Ukraine, February 26, 2019. There are not many people left in Zaitseve, a village on the front line that divides Ukraine between government-controlled territory and the enclave controlled by Russian-backed separatist forces. Troops are stationed in trenches outside Zaitseve and government trucks risk rebel fire to bring bread, coal, firewood and other goods along a dirt road. REUTERS/Gleb Garanich
For some of the soldiers on the front line, peace is not enough. Oleg, a Lieutenant-Colonel who did not give his last name, said the heavy toll of killed and wounded, both military and civilian, had left just one option:
"Only victory will do."
Ukrainian servicemen drink tea as they visit a local resident in the village of Zaitseve, Ukraine, February 22, 2019. There are not many people left in Zaitseve, a village on the front line that divides Ukraine between government-controlled territory and the enclave controlled by Russian-backed separatist forces. Troops are stationed in trenches outside Zaitseve and government trucks risk rebel fire to bring bread, coal, firewood and other goods along a dirt road. REUTERS/Gleb Garanich
(Writing and additional reporting by Matthias Williams; editing by Philippa Fletcher)
A house damaged by shelling is seen in the village of Zaitseve, Ukraine, February 26, 2019. There are not many people left in Zaitseve, a village on the front line that divides Ukraine between government-controlled territory and the enclave controlled by Russian-backed separatist forces. Troops are stationed in trenches outside Zaitseve and government trucks risk rebel fire to bring bread, coal, firewood and other goods along a dirt road. REUTERS/Gleb Garanich A boy runs on a street which is around 1000 meters from the separatist trenches, in Mayorsk, Ukraine, February 23, 2019. REUTERS/Gleb Garanich A girl looks out of a bus window which crosses the contact line between pro-Russian rebels and Ukrainian troops as Ukrainian border guard stands by in Mayorsk, Ukraine, February 25, 2019. More than a million people cross the 500 km contact line every year, many of them are pensioners who spend hours queuing, in cold, heat, rain or snow, as they rely on state benefits that can only be obtained on the government-controlled side. REUTERS/Gleb Garanich People line up as they wait at passport control after crossing the contact line between pro-Russian rebels and Ukrainian troops in Mayorsk, Ukraine, February 25, 2019. More than a million people cross the 500 km contact line every year, many of them are pensioners who spend hours queuing, in cold, heat, rain or snow, as they rely on state benefits that can only be obtained on the government-controlled side. REUTERS/Gleb Garanich Ukrainian border guards wave at cars to go through at a checkpoint at the contact line between pro-Russian rebels and Ukrainian troops in Mayorsk, Ukraine February 25, 2019. More than a million people cross the 500 km contact line every year, many of them are pensioners who spend hours queuing, in cold, heat, rain or snow, as they rely on state benefits that can only be obtained on the government-controlled side. REUTERS/Gleb Garanich Ukrainian border guards walk past a mine-warning sign near the contact line between pro-Russian rebels and Ukrainian troops in Mayorsk, Ukraine, February 25, 2019. More than a million people cross the 500 km contact line every year, many of them are pensioners who spend hours queuing, in cold, heat, rain or snow, as they rely on state benefits that can only be obtained on the government-controlled side. The sign in Russian reads: "Don't leave the road. The area along the road is mined." REUTERS/Gleb Garanich People line up as border guards check their luggage before they go through passport control, after crossing the contact line between pro-Russian rebels and Ukrainian troops in Mayorsk, Ukraine, February 25, 2019. More than a million people cross the 500 km contact line every year, many of them are pensioners who spend hours queuing, in cold, heat, rain or snow, as they rely on state benefits that can only be obtained on the government-controlled side. REUTERS/Gleb Garanich Members of Ukraine's interior ministry's Azov battalion are seen at a front line near the village of Travneve, Ukraine, February 24, 2019. REUTERS/Gleb Garanich A member of Ukraine's interior ministry's Azov battalion seats in a car before a ride to a front line near the village of Travneve, Ukraine, February 24, 2019. REUTERS/Gleb Garanich Local residents listen to an Ukrainian chaplain during a service in the village of Zaitseve, Ukraine, February 22, 2019. There are not many people left in Zaitseve, a village on the front line that divides Ukraine between government-controlled territory and the enclave controlled by Russian-backed separatist forces. Troops are stationed in trenches outside Zaitseve and government trucks risk rebel fire to bring bread, coal, firewood and other goods along a dirt road. REUTERS/Gleb Garanich Local residents receive free bread in the village of Zaitseve, Ukraine, February 23, 2019. There are not many people left in Zaitseve, a village on the front line that divides Ukraine between government-controlled territory and the enclave controlled by Russian-backed separatist forces. Troops are stationed in trenches outside Zaitseve and government trucks risk rebel fire to bring bread, coal, firewood and other goods along a dirt road. REUTERS/Gleb Garanich Members of Ukraine's interior ministry's Azov battalion eat and rest in a recessed shelter at a front line near the village of Travneve, Ukraine, February 24, 2019. REUTERS/Gleb Garanich Ilya, nom de guerre Gandalf, member of Ukraine's interior ministry's Azov battalion with prosthetic left arm, is seen at a front line near the village of Travneve, Ukraine February 24, 2019. Ilya, who has lost an eye and an arm, said: "Those who are counting on peace - they will get peace, but on foreign and hostile conditions. And we don't need such peace - too many lives, too much energy, money and time are invested in this war". REUTERS/Gleb Garanich Local resident Raisa Taranenko, 73, speaks with her neighbour pensioner Nikolai Yushkov, 70, near her house, which is around 600 meters from the separatist trenches in Mayorsk, Ukraine, February 22, 2019. Families like that of Yushkov are divided by the conflict. He, his son and daughter live on government-controlled land while another daughter lives under separatist control, where election is not being held. "Everyone says: you need to sit down and you need to negotiate", he said. "Peace. We need peace". The single-storey building he shares with another family has survived shelling that destroyed surrounding buildings but is just 600 metres from the separatist trenches. One outer wall, destroyed by fighting, has been replaced by a stack of firewood. Taranenko, whose family shares the building with Yushkov, also shared his desire for an end to the war. "But it's not clear how the situation will develop. There is no hope for anything", she said. "Everything is getting worse and worse". REUTERS/Gleb Garanich A local resident Nikolai Yushkov, 70, looks at an impact of bullet in a window of his house in Mayorsk, Ukraine, February 22, 2019. Families like that of Yushkov are divided by the conflict. He, his son and daughter live on government-controlled land while another daughter lives under separatist control, where election is not being held. "Everyone says: you need to sit down and you need to negotiate", he said. "Peace. We need peace". The single-storey building he shares with another family has survived shelling that destroyed surrounding buildings but is just 600 metres from the separatist trenches. One outer wall, destroyed by fighting, has been replaced by a stack of firewood. REUTERS/Gleb Garanich Cooking utensils sit on a side in a kitchen in Vitaliy Kudla's house in the village of Zaitseve, Ukraine, February 26, 2019. Kudla's house was damaged in shelling. There are not many people left in Zaitseve, a village on the front line that divides Ukraine between government-controlled territory and the enclave controlled by Russian-backed separatist forces. Troops are stationed in trenches outside Zaitseve and government trucks risk rebel fire to bring bread, coal, firewood and other goods along a dirt road. REUTERS/Gleb Garanich A house damaged by shelling is seen in the village of Zaitseve, Ukraine, February 26, 2019. There are not many people left in Zaitseve, a village on the front line that divides Ukraine between government-controlled territory and the enclave controlled by Russian-backed separatist forces. Troops are stationed in trenches outside Zaitseve and government trucks risk rebel fire to bring bread, coal, firewood and other goods along a dirt road. REUTERS/Gleb Garanich Local residents stand in line to an ATM located in an armoured truck after crossing the contact line between pro-Russian rebels and Ukrainian troops near the front line in Mayorsk, Ukraine, February 25, 2019. Employees from the state-run Oschadbank travel by armoured truck to a nearby checkpoint, to allow residents on both sides of the conflict to withdraw money. REUTERS/Gleb Garanich A woman sits outside her house as windows are covered with wood to protect from shrapnel near the front line in the village of Zaitseve, Ukraine, February 23, 2019. There are not many people left in Zaitseve, a village on the front line that divides Ukraine between government-controlled territory and the enclave controlled by Russian-backed separatist forces. Troops are stationed in trenches outside Zaitseve and government trucks risk rebel fire to bring bread, coal, firewood and other goods along a dirt road. REUTERS/Gleb Garanich Oleg, a Lieutenant-Colonel who did not give his last name, is seen at the front line in the village of Zaitseve, Ukraine February 23, 2019. For some of the soldiers on the front line, peace is not enough. Oleg said the heavy toll of killed and wounded, both military and civilian meant there was only one option: "Only victory will do". REUTERS/Gleb Garanich A local resident Raisa Taranenko, 73, looks at bullet holes in door caused by shelling and points at self-made protecting wall made of firewood in her house, which is around 600 meters from the separatist trenches in Mayorsk, Ukraine, February 22, 2019. Taranenko wants an end to the war. "But it's not clear how the situation will develop. There is no hope for anything", she said. "Everything is getting worse and worse." REUTERS/Gleb Garanich Local resident Galina Soboleva (C) walks along a road with other women in the village of Zaitseve, Ukraine, February 22, 2019. There are not many people left in Zaitseve, a village on the front line that divides Ukraine, but voters like Soboleva want just one thing from this month's presidential election. "Whoever promises us peace, to rebuild our homes, we will vote for them. That's all we need", the pensioner said. REUTERS/Gleb Garanich Free bread for local resident it seen near the front line in the village of Zaitseve, Ukraine February 23, 2019. There are not many people left in Zaitseve, a village on the front line that divides Ukraine between government-controlled territory and the enclave controlled by Russian-backed separatist forces. Troops are stationed in trenches outside Zaitseve and government trucks risk rebel fire to bring bread, coal, firewood and other goods along a dirt road. REUTERS/Gleb Garanich A local resident rides a bicycle past the houses destroyed by shelling in the village of Zaitseve, Ukraine, February 22, 2019. There are not many people left in Zaitseve, a village on the front line that divides Ukraine between government-controlled territory and the enclave controlled by Russian-backed separatist forces. Troops are stationed in trenches outside Zaitseve and government trucks risk rebel fire to bring bread, coal, firewood and other goods along a dirt road. REUTERS/Gleb Garanich Ukrainian serviceman carries breads at the front line in the village of Zaitseve, Ukraine, February 23, 2019. There are not many people left in Zaitseve, a village on the front line that divides Ukraine between government-controlled territory and the enclave controlled by Russian-backed separatist forces. Troops are stationed in trenches outside Zaitseve and government trucks risk rebel fire to bring bread, coal, firewood and other goods along a dirt road. REUTERS/Gleb Garanich
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