The few locals who walk behave as if they do not hear the sirens ringing and do not seem to be frightened by the occasional thunder of the incoming shells. Russia’s war in Ukraine is entering a new phase, focusing on the Donbas region to the east, and most of its citizens are not taking any risks. Regional mayors told the Observer that they estimated that about 70 percent of the population had left since the Russian offensive began in February. Ukrainian-controlled Donbass is surrounded by Russian forces from the north, east and south. Ukrainian authorities believe that Russian forces are aiming to encircle the territory by cutting off their supply lines from the west. The Russian-backed forces have occupied about a third of the region since 2014. Russia hoped and probably expected that its efforts to gain more ground would be popular with the predominantly Russian-speaking population. But eight years of conflict, and especially the last eight weeks, have paid off. “The number of people supporting Russia has dropped dramatically,” said Oleksiy Yukov, head of Black Tulips, a voluntary organization that collects and transports people on both sides of the conflict line since 2014. Yukov said the Kramatorsk area was relatively quiet. He had not seen a significant increase in the number of troops since the full attack in February. But he and his team have gathered more citizens. They gathered 52 of the 58 people killed when the Kramatorsk train station was hit by a Russian rocket on April 8. “But [pro-Russian views] it still exists. There are people who do not like Ukraine and can not even explain why. “Their explanations are empty of analysis,” Yukov said. “If someone is killed in front of their eyes for no reason, nothing seems to change. They want to believe what they already believe and do not want to re-evaluate. “Propaganda continues and Ukraine has not done enough in those eight years to stop it.” Oleksandr Goncharenko, the mayor of Slovyansk, in an underground shelter. Photo: Ed Ram / The Observer However, the mayor of Kramatorsk, Oleksandr Goncharenko, said that the blockade of Mariupol in the Donetsk region and its devastating humanitarian consequences had played a decisive role in changing people’s minds. “If in 2014, 60% of the city were pro-Russian, I would say it is now around 15%,” he said. Goncharenko is one of the many Donbass politicians who has represented pro-Russian parties in Ukraine. Goncharenko said his policy had changed after former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych “betrayed” Ukraine in 2014. He said there would be no “Donetsk People’s Republic” in Kramatorsk and that he would take up arms if the city was occupied. In the neighboring town of Slovyansk, just north of Kramatorsk and closer to the front line, Mayor Vadym Lyakh said he had received many phone calls and messages from the Russian side that offered him property and security for his family in exchange for a change of direction. Lyakh said he had ignored them. The Russian side had not promised security for the people of Slovyansk, he said. As a local councilor, Lyakh welcomed Russian-backed separatist forces when they took over the city in 2014 and voted in favor of establishing a Donetsk People’s Republic – something he was now reluctant to comment on. “I do not think there is a difference between Kramatorsk, Slovyansk and Kiev. “It’s all over Ukraine and society will not accept it as part of Russia.” He said most people in Ukrainian-controlled Donbass saw a better life under Ukrainian rule than in the Russian-backed democracies created in 2014. He said: “But I can not say that everyone has understood this. “I can only say that more people have done and that military activities have further reduced the number of people who are for the Russian world.” Apartment buildings damaged by bombing in Kramatorsk, Ukraine. Photo: Andriy Andriyenko / AP He said that when he came to Sloviansk to study in 1995, no identity issues were discussed. “At that time we were all cities of Ukraine, there were no problems. “Then, in the 2000s, politicians started fighting for us.” Dozens of people were packing their bags in the nearby town of Kremina in the Luhansk region, next to two front-line towns where fighting reportedly continues between the two sides. “Most people here are waiting for Russian soldiers,” said Viktoria Slobodyansk, a 61-year-old retired English teacher who volunteered for the Ukrainian army. “People want to hear only what they want to hear. They think that if they were in Russia, they would live much better. That’s why I decided to leave Kremina. “I’m not afraid of bombing,” he said, “but after Bucha and Hostomel, I’re afraid of Russian soldiers.”
