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Yogita Limaye
Report from Donetsk area
BBCThe clock in the ceasefire mode called by Russia we went to the Donetsk Eastern Ukraine to find out what, if any, it was.
The Ukrainian military escorted us to an artillery position, southwest of the brutal city of Pokrovsk.
The cloudy sky forced the passage through the vibrant footprint, which pass past the wide open fields, slightly less vulnerable to the attacks from the drones.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has proposed a three-day ceasefire, starting with the north on May 8, coincides with the anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe on Friday, known as Victory Day.
But from the artillery position, we heard the sounds of continuous explosions – which included the weekend mortar fire – evidence that there was no ceasefire in the trenches and on the front line.
I asked Sergia, one of the soldiers of the 3rd National Guard’s Operational Brigade whether there were attacks from Russia overnight.
“Yes, they attacked the night. We had sliding bombs and drones. Russia cannot be trusted. In the evening they call a truce, and in the morning they attack. There is no truce. We are always ready for everything,” he said.
A few minutes later, he was sent to the radio target. Several soldiers ran through the deep murky trenches, to the clearing, where the howitzer was hidden from vision, covered with branches and leaves. They revealed it, showed it in the right direction and fired. He released a deafening sound, and the return blew the leaves and dust from the ground.
President of Ukraine Vladimir Zelensky rejected the one -sided three -day ceasefire. Instead, he called for a longer 30-day truce, as the US suggested that the proposal, which was once again confirmed by President Donald Trump on his social platform on Thursday night.
Trump even threatened that Washington and his partners would impose further sanctions if the ceasefire would not be respected.
As the war died, every side trying to wear the other, I asked 26-year-old Max soldier as he feels due to global diplomatic efforts seeking ceasefire.
“You don’t think about such things when you are here. You must have” tunnel vision “. You can’t allow emotions to dictate your actions. You are waiting for commands and act, and if there is no team, you will find a way to spend your time. But you don’t let thoughts like it,” he said.
We go north of the artillery position, to the city of Dabropilia, which is about 12 miles (19 km) from Russian positions. Thousands of people still live in the city, among them many of those who were forced to move here because their hometowns have become too dangerous for life.
We meet with a light, which is originally from Pokrovsk, but now moved to the good. I asked her if she believed that the call in the Russian ceasefire had changed on the ground. “You can hear the sounds here,” she said, citing the continuous sounds of the explosion like rolling thunder, that we could hear from the outskirts of the city. “This is the sound of the ceasefire of Russia. So I say we should never trust them.”
Twenty-six-year-old family chimes in: “Fireforing is proclaimed simply to confuse people and deceive them, and so they (Russia) can say to the world:” We are so good that we try to get Ukraine through peaceful means, “but in reality everything they do is the opposite.”
In the main market, we meet the 65-year-old Oleksandra. “It was more peaceful last night. We heard the rage regularly,” he said. “But now we hear anxiety again, and I’m not sure I see some truce.”
When he talks, his face erupts into a cloud. “I’m afraid. I have a wife and son. I am very afraid for my family. I’m afraid we may be able to run away in our homes,” he said, breaking down.
Additional Imogen Anderson, Volodimar Lotskaya, Sanji Gong and Anastasia Levchenko.
