Ukraine War: Putin’s bomb-avoiding relief team delivers supplies to people trapped in Donbas | World News
When the rumblings of war were in the distance, Oleksiy Savkevych and his volunteers carried the necessary supplies wherever they needed them.
They are a lifeline for those trapped in the fighting in the frontline town of Avdiivka, located next to the rebel-held eastern city of Donetsk. Ukraine.
It has been going on since 2014 and is in the path of Putin’s army as Russia tries to conquer Donbas – the industrial center of the country.
“Before the invasion on February 24, there were 25, 30,000 people who had to be evacuated, some of them still staying here,” said Oleksiy.
And the people who can’t, or can’t leave are the people he’s helping, he said.
The first to be released was an elderly man whose family is currently living in Russian-occupied territory.
He was scared and completely alone, but like so many here he was too weak to get out.
Scattered across the roads, where they delivered, were shrapnel of bombs and rockets.
The devastation here has left the place without electricity and running water and the people left are growing increasingly desperate.
But the war didn’t stop Oleksiy and other humanitarian workers from loading more items into their trucks.
Oleksiy Savkevych and his volunteers bring essentials wherever they are needed
Explosions in the distance
After delivering the goods in the center, they had to cross the railway into the eastern district.
Their driving takes them to the edges of town, and even close to the scene of the skirmish.
As more bags were delivered, an explosion could be heard in the distance.
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They are a lifeline for those trapped in the fray
Tetiana, one of the many people he helps, told me about what war has done to this community.
“You’re afraid to go anywhere. I need to go to town but I’m afraid. You can’t go anywhere – when the bombs go off we need shelter. How do you think we’re living?” she speaks.
The delivery team goes anywhere, regardless of the danger.
Their next visit was even closer to the front lines and the handover was tense.
While distributing aid, shells landed from above near where the team was standing.
Families go back to their homes and everyone is looking for a place to rest – the truth is, there aren’t any truly safe places.
Everywhere is exposed.
Finally, when the immediate sense of danger passed, as the fighting paused, they moved from cover and out of the area, but Oleksiy continued to deliver.
“We wait and until we understand it’s safer and then we move on,” he said.
At the final stop, we meet Valentina and her six grandchildren.
Valentina and her six grandchildren
During their innocent childhood, they seem oblivious to the war surrounding them, playing games, as she reveals how their lives have changed.
“We are living in an apartment. We are only temporarily here to hide. We have another apartment there. Why are we not there? Because there was a lot of filming, the girls were very shy to be there,” she said.
Every week civilians here die in the fighting.
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Oleksiy and his team know their job is dangerous but they are also living on the front lines.
And without him, the suffering of many in this town would have been worse.
