Bundled up against the raw winter weather, they line up to receive rations and scurry back inside their homes, hoping they won’t be killed by the near-constant shelling.
This strategically located town in eastern Ukraine is one more casualty of the fighting that has intensified in recent weeks between pro-Russian separatists and Ukrainian forces. Separatists are trying to encircle the town while government forces maintain posts on the outskirts.
A spokesman for the government’s military operation, Vladislav Seleznyov, said the militants were consistently shelling Debaltseve — and that it’s currently the most dangerous place in the country.
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Once they’re in a car or on the bus, danger still lurks. The road leading out of the battle zone into the closest safe town, Artyemovsk, is often shelled by separatist forces.
And once they reach a shelter, they wait, wondering if they’ll ever be able to return to their home.
Jonathan Alpeyrie reported and photographed from Ukraine and Ralph Ellis wrote the story in Atlanta.
