Very similar to the First World War! The main thing is to not stick your head out, it's dangerous. To support the project, like and leave a comment. Good day to all!
Welcome to our new video! Today, I invite you to Ukraine. To talk to you about the conflict in the Donbass. The war in eastern Ukraine has been going on for more than six years. We talked about the conflict a lot in the beginning, but now much less. Currently, there’s a period of stagnation and the conflict is nearly forgotten. I came here to tell you what’s now going on just a few hours from us in Europe and to meet the people who live here. Let’s go! Director: LE GRAND JD Assembling: THEOTIME MASSARD Editing:
MARGAUX FRITSCHY & SEBASTIEN GOBERT Translation: ODILE MELNIK-ARDIN
Logistics: DMYTRO DUBAS THE WAR IN UKRAINE There is little known about Ukraine, one of the largest countries in Europe. A former Soviet republic, it is a country of contrasts and with a complex history. torn between Western and Russian influence. It is a multilingual country, but mostly Ukrainian and Russian is spoken here. We know Ukraine, of course, through Chernobyl, Femen, its fertile soil, and through borscht. But we know less than we did in 2014. This country has fallen victim to the only war in Europe. To understand this conflict it is necessary to return to the events of
Maidan in the winter of 2013 – 2014. Maidan is the Independence Square in Kyiv. In November 2013,
Ukraine had to sign an agreement on association with the EU.
But, at the time of his presidency, the authoritarian and corrupt Viktor Yanukovych withdrew from the agreement at the last moment,
to preserve ties with Russia. It was a big disappointment. Protestors immediately came to Maidan. Ordinary people, students, politicians,
and nationalist groups. They came out,
to demand Ukraine’s integration into Europe, more freedoms, justice, less corruption, and finally,
the resignation of the president. The Ukrainian people succeeded in forcing out
the president after just three months. Protests turned to revolution,
which fascinated the entire world. A brutal revolution which killed
more than 100 people in central Kyiv. When the president fled in February 2014, people could see the degree
of his corruption illustrated by his luxurious, undeclared palace. It is believed that Yanukovych
and his supporters looted about $40 billion
in just four years. But peace did not begin for Ukraine.
In the south, Putin took advantage of the confusion and sent special forces
without flags or insignia to capture Crimea during a blitz operation. Under military occupation, without opposition and not knowing what the revolution in Kyiv would bring, Crimea became Russian after an unrecognized referendum. Today, no country in the world recognizes this referendum. Russian aggression in Europe reminds us of a time when big countries oppressed small countries, with the aim of capturing territories. A referendum was held in Crimea on March 17. It was held in full compliance with democratic procedures and international law. That is not all for Ukraine. Protests erupted in some eastern regions too. Provoked by the impoverishment of the population,
as well as nostalgia for the Soviet era, Russian propaganda, and a fear of the revolution on Maidan, people took to the streets. They were provoked by Russian intelligence services,
which were utilized to increase pressure and demand secession from Ukraine
with a possible accession to Russia. The separatists, with the support of Russia, created the Donetsk and Luhansk republics. There are no Russian troops
in eastern Ukraine, no military special forces, no instructors.
This is the local population. Repeating the Crimea situation in Kyiv
is unimaginable. Then, pro-Ukrainian volunteers took up arms. In the east of the country,
in the mining region of the Donbas riots escalated into
a deadly military conflict. And war once again broke out
on the European continent. In reality, Ukraine is at war with Russia,
but not directly. When they talk about the war in the Donbas,
they talk about a hybrid war, because it’s not just a military conflict.
It’s also economical, and an information war, which is,
of course, referring to the internet. In the summer of 2014, this war became
completely out of control. Boeing MH17, Malaysian Airlines, was shot down over separatist territory. 298 people died, none of which had anything to do with
the war. There is evidence that the plane was shot down with a surface-to-air missile, launched from the area controlled by the Russia-backed separatists inside of Ukraine. The international community pointed to Russia,
which denied participation. Years have passed
since international courts proved that the missile carrier belonged
to the Russian army. Maybe it was a mistake. But Russia will not recognize this fatal mistake. To ease tensions,
France, Germany, Ukraine, and Russia started a peace process by signing the Minsk Agreements. In 2015, the situation on the line of
conflict stabilized, peace talks stagnated, and the war gradually disappeared
from the headlines. Since then, clashes between the opposing
sides have ceased. We have almost forgotten
what is going on here. But the war continues. I want to emphasize
that I only visited the territory
controlled by Ukraine. It is difficult to get to the
other side of the conflict. And now it’s even more difficult
because of the pandemic. We are in an armored personnel carrier
of the Ukrainian army to get to the position. We’re ready and I do not know
how far we have to go, but hopefully it won’t be long.
We need to get to the trenches. Here we are, at the frontline where the Ukrainian army
is holding back the separatists. They are only a few kilometers away, even just a few meters in front of us. We are not far from Donetsk,
the capital of this conflict. We are in the Ukrainian
military’s positions. DMYTRO DUBAS
Assistant Director and Translator. In front of Donetsk.
And now we’re in the tunnel between the trenches. Here are storage, living rooms, kitchen. They live here like underground. ANDREI My name is Andrei
I am the unit commander. We are at war. I can’t talk specifically about our position. We have been at war for five years. I was called up in 2016. I volunteered immediately for a military contract. Here is where we live where we prepare meals. Here, we install a shower in the summer. All of our locations have a code name,
like in the game “Stalker.” This is “Lab 16,” which is
just a summer-time shower. This is where we shower in the summer. Here, we have stores of vegetables. It also has the codename “Laboratory.” There are kilometers of trenches. All 420 kilometers of
the front line are similar to this trench. He is small. He can walk straight. And I am tall. These passages and tunnels are everywhere. We installed this so that the water can flow,
during heavy rain. When it rains hard,
the water goes to the lowest point so that we don’t walk through puddles. There’s no mud. We scavenged these metal fences to
cover the walls. It’s comfortable, for us. We did all of this ourselves. This is so that the enemy can’t reach us.
They’re very close. Even if they shoot at us,
the parapet protects us. And we are at a safe depth. The bunker is camouflaged The bunker is made with
several layers of protection. Several layers, for our protection. To protect against mortar fire. The front line stretches
almost 500km. Adversaries are facing each other
in many places like this. It is incredible,
to dig trenches without bulldozers and
large machines. They usually work with jackhammers and shovels. All this was done by hand,
even during battle. Positions like this are near… What did he say? - The enemy is 100 meters away. - What what?
- One hundred, 1-0-0 meters. Just 100 meters to the enemy, to hostile positions. They’re using a telescope to see, so as not to stick your head out,
which is dangerous. He has a homemade telescope,
but it works well. Through this, we can see their fortifications. And over there, the firing positions. They’re trying to get closer to us. They try to cross to the other side of the water. But they haven’t succeeded, not even once. When they go out, we watch them. They fire a few shots and then leave. That’s all. We previously saw them only 100 meters from here. They are also in trenches. They also have a dugout. I think, between the camps it is at least one kilometer. But in fact, in some areas
the distance is very small. A few days ago,
a soldier was killed by a sniper. Now we are in a position
deep underground. The snipers are opposite us, so all the windows are walled up. There are several firing ports. To observe in complete safety, they made a few small telescopes. They are homemade,
and work well. They allow you to observe
without sticking your head out. Here we have a periscope. At this moment, we are just here and watching. The enemy periodically violates the ceasefire. Even though we have a truce, the enemy fires at us. Their positions are not far from here.
We don’t shoot back at them since we don’t have permission.
We are just observing this situation. And that's all. Well, if the enemy is one hundred meters away, and the enemy is shooting, then of course it is dangerous here. Since the beginning of the war
13,000 people have died. There were several ceasefire agreements,
but they were not implemented. Beginning in 2015
hostilities were suspended. thanks to an agreement signed by both sides. The front line was drawn. Both sides hold their positions. And small clashes continue to happen. According to the OSCE, the Organization of
Security and Cooperation in Europe, which is monitoring the situation on the ground, ceasefire violations continue.
Between January and July 26, 2020: 130,000 violations. Over the past six months, there have been much fewer.
Since July 27, 2000, only 7,000 violations were recorded,
due to an increase in ceasefire measures. We will spend the night, for a few days, in these trenches.
Therefore we will sleep in
an underground room. Now I’ll show you what it looks like. There are four of us here. I’ll take this off. Indeed, it is very similar
to the First World War. They have been here for years in these positions. Units change from time to time but the position is the same. From 2015, I guess. Five years, six years of the war. Do you have fatigue? From the war in general, and from work? No. Well, if you work a little, then of course there is no fatigue. And from the war – yes. We are bored from the monotony, bored not from the war, but from everyday tasks. You have to get used to it. This is how they spend the night. We are a ways away from the base. And now we will eat a little. We prepared soup and tea. The guy closed the door with rope to protect us. From enemies, who might come here and kill us. He just told this story. That they kill soldiers at night. There are some more features of this war, which I have not yet told you. That is, the participation of volunteer fighters. There are many volunteers
in many conflicts. But here, they have played an important role
since the beginning of the war. The reasons are different. These are the separatists. The local population, Russian and foreign volunteers,
under the guidance of the Russian military. On the Ukrainian side,
Ukrainian volunteer battalions formed because the army was too weak at the time. There are many of these battalions.
And in their ranks are groups of
right-wing radicals. It is impossible to say
how many of them there are. But much is said about them. During the conflict, some battalions became official units that eventually joined the regular Army. Others continued to fight on their own. Unlike the fighters
in the trenches who are exhausted by the war
and tired of it all, the people in the volunteer battalions are patriotic,
nationalistic, and highly motivated. I visited one of these
volunteer groups which are called the Wolves. Their leader is
a formidable fighter. DA VINCI. He is 24 years old and a Company Commander. Ukraine – Above All! The boy left his home
at the beginning of the war when he was 18. Before the war I did a lot. I played football, did athletics, kayaking, canoeing. I studied at an art lyceum,
which is why I have the callsign Da Vinci. In 2015, in February, I was appointed Company Commander. And from then until now, I am the commander of the First Separate Assault Company, which fought in all the hot spots, took part in some of the fiercest battles. Well done, let's go! Lie down, lie down! Come here! My great-grandfather, who fought in the Ukrainian Insurgent Army, has always been an example for me. It was much harder for them in those days
when they fought against the Nazi army, as well as against the communist government and the Red Army. Why are participating in the war? Why are you fighting? Well, this is more a matter of principle - to prove that the enemy must be destroyed by force. Those in power in our country say that we should
reconcile with Russia. When the enemy attacks and kills your relatives, brothers, when a father dies or someone loses a son in war, then it is impossible to negotiate with the enemy with impunity. And only by force, only by the liberation of the occupied territories, will we be able to prove that we are an independent Ukrainian state. It is difficult to say
how many volunteers there are. But they think it’s about
350,000 men and women. Today, many of them have left their weapons and are tired of the protracted war. Unfortunately, this war does not
bypass the civilian population. Homes, various buildings, entire cities were destroying in this region
where, before, there was a large population. Along the way we see a lot of destruction. And how many human victims?!
Among the 13,000 dead during the conflict more than 3,000 civilians. This is the deadliest conflict
in Europe in 20 years. Almost 1.5 million refugees. There are those who cannot leave or who decided to stay and continue to live here in the new conditions. We just got to the checkpoint between the two zones. There are a few of them along the front line. Less than 10
and sometimes, some are closed and some are open.
It depends on the situation on the ground. This is a very important place where civilians
can legally and safely go from zone to zone. I should say, as we have already explained, that this war has divided the region into two parts.
For example, there are people who work in Ukraine but live in the uncontrolled territory. And everyday they have to cross the border. This is a tense area.
So here documents are carefully checked as well as belongings. Dogs help the border guards. There are people in this line who
want to get to the occupied territory in the Luhansk region. Citizens of Ukraine, which is
who we see here, can cross with a passport
and a permit. The other side of the bridge
is occupied by the separatists. I can’t go there because I am not a citizen of Ukraine. So, I can’t show you what is being done there. But Dima, as a citizen of Ukraine, can go there.
I’ll give him a camera. And he will be able to show us
what is going on there. Here is the camera. Right here. - It’s autofocus?
- Ya, ya. - And zoom here?
- Yes. - You are ready?
- Yes, I’m ready. Wish me good luck! See you! I’m going, closer and closer. By the way … all the territories along the side of the safety area are full of landmines. So now I have successfully made it half way. There is the bridge. The other side. And there, my dear Julien is waiting for me. There is Julien! He’s not worried about me. Here is the flag of Ukraine, The last one on this side. And here is… the flags of the so-called Luhansk Peoples Republic. And there are soldiers. Right over here. These guys. I’m going back home. Mission complete,
my Swiss friend! There are five such checkpoints like this one. In general, passing through the point takes a few hours. And the conditions are very difficult. It is very cold in the winter and in the summer – very hot. Because of the pandemic several points were closed. This complicates the
situation even more. According to the UN 3.4 million people need humanitarian aid. Before leaving, we visit Lilia and her husband. From the very beginning,
they have lived according to the tempo of the war. Their house is near the trenches. This is the last house in Ukraine. We have a good house. There is a war around us and we are afraid. Before the war, when we bought this house, it was the first when you enter the village. It was a stopping point, it was a stadium where the children played. It was civilization. In 2014, in a single second, it became not the first house, but the last one. Now, we live at these military positions, the trenches, and this is the end of the earth. Do you get scared because of this? Yes. Of course. Of course I'm scared. Isn’t all war scary? I hope that things will get better, in this
life or the next. Well, if you can be more specific, like, how should this war end? Well, all wars end sooner or later. God willing, it will end during our lifetime.
That there will be peace. Well, I hope so. What’s this for? I hate war, I hate weapons. Why does this happen? Why is there war? We are normal, civilized people. We need to negotiate.
