Frag Out! Magazine
Issue link: https://fragout.uberflip.com/i/1497523
There were people, and there are no people… Ukraine is drowned in darkness. This is a preventative measure for wartime, making the aggressor's life harder, but the circumstances also stem from the effects that the Russian strikes had on the country's power grid. Kyiv looks scary at night - which I saw during our return trip. The skyscrapers turned blind, without bright windows, exposing their human-made character. Only a contour of something big can be seen, which wakes one's innate anxiety. Fortunately, the traffic lights still work, providing a bit of light. But as we approach the city limits - block-posts with Police, or the military - a new set of challenges presents itself ahead of us. Ukraine is a vast country. One can cover dozens of kilometers between the cities, not stumbling upon any settlements. Even during peacetime, that meant no light pollution, at all. Good eyesight and solid lights on the car had been a must even before the war. Now, they are indispensable. The darkness, apart from the dangers for those traveling, is also hiding painful secrets. Near Izium, liberated in the autumn, we encountered a concrete barrier blocking the entrance onto a bridge, destroyed by the withdrawing Russian units. Somewhere nearby a temporary crossing was arranged. I decided to have a look around. I have quickly established that we are in the middle of some village. On both sides of the road, rows of typical, Ukrainian homes were placed - even without the war, they were looking sad. My eyesight, accustomed to the darkness, allowed me to witness the extent of the damage. Roofs collapsed, windows broken, walls with gunshot wounds. Fences fallen down, and Lada wreckage nearby. And no sight of life in sight - even stray dogs, so common in Donbas. The settlement seemed dead. A large „Z" was painted on one of the buildings, with white paint, visible even without the torch. Putin's soldiers mark the return of the captured villages to Mother Russia. „Z" means „It's ours". And usually entails destruction. Total destruction, that can be encompassed in the statement: „There were people, and there are no people". When driving to, and from Bakhmut, I have witnessed numerous settlements that underwent similar treatment. www.fragoutmag.com