Volunteers deliver humanitarian aid to Donbass
‘See that burned house? It burned not because of war. When retreating, Nazis poured gasoline, set it on fire and left.’ claims Maxim from the city of Volnovakha in Donbass, who witnessed how Ukrainian nationalist forces left his city. They used civilian buildings as firing points and then destroyed them as they retreated. Locals said Ukrainian nationalists referred to them as ‘non-humans’, so they felt free to shoot them at will. ‘When they ran away through the centre on 3 March, they shot my relative. For nothing’ adds Maxim.
Scorched earth tactics by Ukrainian forces led to a severe humanitarian crisis. Now the only way to survive there is aid from Russia. Every ten days, volunteers bring a convoy to problem areas. They are Russian businessmen who gather supplies from all over the country. At their own risk, they search for missing people and evacuate them. What stories do they tell?