The fierce onslaught of Russian forces on the Ukrainian town of Avdiivka is witnessed by Hanna. Amid the relentless rain of missiles and shards of her decimated homeland, she dreams of escape yet remains determined to stay by her mother’s side. At the age of 71, her mother clings to the sense of home and comfort, refusing to abandon her dwelling even as the buildings around them crumble under continuous bombardment.
The mother and daughter duo have sought refuge in a precarious fifth floor apartment – one of the few structures left standing in this ravaged town, strategically situated on the frontline of eastern Ukraine and thus bearing the brunt of war’s fury.
Out of the initial population of over 30,000, barely a thousand souls remain, holding fast amid the rubble of their beloved Avdiivka – a battlefield since 2014, but facing a ruthless invasion since last February. The Russian forces have intensified their offensive recently, reducing the town to ruins and the lives of its stubbornly defiant inhabitants to a game of endurance and survival.
The town, a gateway to the city of Donetsk under Russian control since 2014, is strategically vital for both sides. Winning it could give Russia a vantage point to weaken Ukrainian forces further.
The daily horror of surviving in such circumstances forces Hanna and others in this shrunken town to risk their lives even for basic necessities like food and water. One wrong step outside, and death could be an alarming whistle away.
A glimmer of hope for Avdiivka’s residents comes in the form of government-established relief stations known as Points of Invincibility. These havens offer food, warmth, power and shelter to those in need. For some, they have even become temporary homes, such as for Maryna, a volunteer nurse whose residence was blown apart in an attack.
Yet, even in the supposed safe confines of a basement, peace is a luxury as the echo of missiles exploding above persistently shatters the silence.
A police unit, the White Angels, spearhead the dangerous task of evacuating people, managing to bring 50 individuals to safety in a single week. But the relentless bombardment makes their mission increasingly arduous.
Despite the despair enclosing her, Maryna remains hopeful of returning to a peaceable Avdiivka – a town that once resonated with the joyous hum of picnics in the park, concerts, festivals, laughter and life against a backdrop of lush green boulevards. Now, all that remains are memories amidst the skeletal remains of a city that was.
Sadly gazing upon the disillusioned remnants of her hometown, Maryna mutters, “There is no Avdiivka any more.” Yet within those words carries the unspoken hope for the revival of a town and a life beyond the devastation of war.
