Embed

Trapped

Life on the Donetsk frontline through the eyes of a little girl.

Zaitsevo village, is caught between the opposing sides. As hostilities between the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) continue, the locals sleep to the sound of gunfire and use their cellars and basements as bomb shelters. They say they simply have nowhere else to go, so they continue to live in this no man’s land, where near constant shelling puts their lives in the line every day.

Related: Paramedics risk their lives to save injured civilians in Donetsk

Among Zaitsevo’s residents is 7-year-old Masha, she lives with her family, 4 generations of women, her mother, grandmother and great-grandmother. They all grew up here and consider the village their home, a place where families are so deeply rooted that moving away to become refugees is unthinkable. They have no choice but to do the best they can to try and maintain a measure of normality in life. Windows have to be left open so they aren’t shattered by explosions. The Internet provides their only contact with neighbours for local news and mutual support.

Related: WWII veterans in Donetsk caught-up in a new bloody conflict 

Masha attends her first grade classes every day, even though her school has twice been hit by artillery fire. To find calm when the shelling starts, she plays with her puppy and has learned to fit her daily schedule around the regular bombardment. Her fondest dream is that, one day, the war will end. 

 

Follow stories the mainstream media ignores: Follow RTD's Twitter

WATCH TRAILER
Please rate this film

9.28(21 users)

Published: 06 February 2017 00:00

View: 5749

Duration

27:24

Tags
Watch this film in Russian

don't miss

26:33 1410
Society 09 September 2022 12:00

Children of Donbass. Growing up under Ukrainian artillery fire

26:33 6434
Military and War 12 November 2014 00:00

Donetsk: An American Glance. A first-hand account of the situation in Donbass

26:33 20134
Military and War 04 March 2015 00:00

Trauma. Paramedics risk their lives to save injured civilians in Donetsk, Ukraine

26:33 10909
Society 31 March 2022 12:00

Ukraine: Heading East. Donbass residents taking refuge in Russia

26:33 666
Society 11 May 2022 18:00

Portaitissa of Donetsk

26:33 871
Military and War 17 June 2022 12:00

Theatre of War. Donbass theatre performers on the frontline of the special operation

26:33 5040
Military and War 06 March 2022 12:40

Maidan: Road to War. The story behind Maidan

26:33 39388
Military and War 02 March 2022 17:31

Donbass War: Airport. Part 1. 2014. Donetsk Airport as the face of a war

26:33 20412
Military and War 03 March 2022 14:43

Donbass War: Airport. Part 2

26:33 8088
Military and War 24 February 2022 19:20

Donbass: The Grey Zone. Life in the frontline villages

26:33 2579
Military and War 19 September 2022 12:00

Operation Ukraine: Crime without Punishment . The history of Ukraine’s crimes against Donbass civilians

26:33 1036
Military and War 19 October 2022 12:00

Demining Donbass. Sappers risk their lives clearing Donbass from Ukrainian mines

26:33 5335
Personalities 20 August 2012 00:00

The last Soviet in Afghanistan

26:33 1170
Society 18 July 2014 00:00

Ukraine's Refugees. Civilians fleeing from war find shelter in Russia

26:33 10505
Military and War 08 May 2015 00:00

Facing the War. Ukrainian WWII veterans caught up in the new conflict

26:33 4664
History 25 December 2020 20:00

Death Factories. Japan's secret Unit 731 – where biological warfare was conceived.

26:33 1037
Military and War 25 October 2022 14:30

Ghosts: Soldiers of a Forgotten War. Living and fighting in the Donbass hot zone

26:33 532
Professions 23 December 2022 12:00

War Correspondents. Reporting from the Donbass hot zone

26:33 902
Personalities 01 July 2013 00:00

The Face of War. The chechen surgeon who saved lives on both sides as war raged around him.

26:33 2229
Society 09 March 2015 00:00

Generation Standstill. Shocking Stories of Syrian Refugees

VIEWER’S CHOICE: 1,000,000 VIEWS AND MORE

VIEW ALL