Eastern Ukraine: Avdiivka Recovering After Shelling Of Residential Area

The escalation of the conflict in Eastern Ukraine continues. Since the firing started on January, 29th, 19 Ukrainian soldiers were killed, 77 have been wounded, according to the Anti Terroristic Operation (ATO) press-center. Moreover, one woman and State Emergency Service (SES) worker died on February 2nd, as a result of shelling. British photographer Christian Nunn had his eyes injured in a mortar attack.

 Two residential buildings on the outskirts of Avdiivka has been damaged because of several direct hits.  Windows are blown-out, power lines and gas pipelines are damaged, but fortunately no civilians have been killed.

Avdiivka, Eastern Ukraine 3/02/17

The next day 4 UN and German trucks with humanitarian aid came to the town.

“People are scared, their state is awful. We’ve come into the flat on the ground floor, the woman was trembling. She definitely needs medical help, because her state is really bad,” says local man.

A woman from the shelled building remembers how the pipeline was hit. Now people are trying to fix it.

“People have different opinions. My opinion is that the “DPR” was shelling us. My brother thinks differently. I don’t even talk with him on this issue in order not to argue,” she says.

Principal Deputy Chief Monitor OSCE special monitoring mission (SMM) to Ukraine Aleksandr Hug visited Avdiivka.

Avdiivka, Eastern Ukraine 3/02/17

“Сonstant fighting in this area led to critical infrastructure being affected. A water filtration station is without electricity and it is not producing clean water,” he reported.

Mr. Hug also said that OSCE in coordination with Joint Center of Control and Coordination to facilitate a local ceasefire around the station.

 Local authorities document the damage to have evidence of the shelling. After that people, whose flats have been damaged, can go to police station and file a report.

“I checked the time - it was 9.26 p.m. when the first shell fell near the house. My husband and I fell down and lay on the floor,” says a local woman.

 Oleksandr Lebid, an assistant to the Civic Military Administration of Donetsk Region of Ukraine, says no evacuation is required.

Avdiivka, Eastern Ukraine 3/02/17
 “There is no advance towards us, electricity will be resumed. People have water supply here. Talking about the heating, deputy minister has come here and brought situation back to normal. People have gas supply in their flats. Electricity was the only problem. So there is no reason for it,” he said.

Humanitarian aid has been delivered to the local school, which have been shelled earlier. Here SES worker were killed and one was wounded.

“Nobody will leave people in trouble. It’s out of the question,” says local woman.

/Translated by Olga Kuchmagra