
A brutal fusillade has been inflicted upon the Ukrainian town of Avdiivka by Russia, the air resonating with searing missiles. Amidst the indiscriminate carnage, the likes of Hanna despair for an escape route. However, a frail, 71-year-old woman anchored by her faith in her home and her weakening legs holds her back. “Abandonment isn’t an option,” says Hanna, her voice resonating with conviction.
Their reality is a fifth-floor apartment in Avdiivka, teetering under ceaseless bombardments and airstrikes. The mother and daughter represent a ghostly semblance of the town’s dwindling population. Once a flourishing settlement with around 30,000 inhabitants, Avdiivka – a strategic and fiercely disputed location in eastern Ukraine – now houses just above 1,000.
The town first echoed with the sounds of conflict in 2014. However, since Russia’s unrestrained assault last February, the situation has spiraled. Hanna narrates a tale of life under siege, where houses lose their windows and doors each passing day, only to be replaced just in time for the next assault. The town – a gateway to Donetsk – if captured, would provide a vantage point for the invaders to thwart attempts of recapture by Ukrainian forces.
Engaging in an attempt to reach the last standing shop in the town was akin to confronting one’s worst fears. To hear the whistle of an incoming attack and finding a safe corner in time was nearly impossible. However, even that last bastion has now succumbed to its inevitable fate.
The local populace hangs onto a sliver of hope: a government-run aid facility known as the Point of Invincibility. It provides sustenance, warmth, power, and most importantly, shelter. For some like Maryna, it has become a surrogate home. Once a volunteer at the facility, Maryna was propelled to move in after an attack stripped her home of its doors and windows.
Maryna’s son has left Avdiivka. And although she awaits her turn to flee the harrowing chaos, even in the comparative safety of the facility, a peaceful night’s sleep evades her. Missiles, Maryna describes, have become an all too familiar lullaby.
Evacuation from the beleaguered town is a daunting task. Convincing people to abandon their homes is even tougher. The White Angels, a special police unit leading the evacuation, have managed to escort 50 people to safety in the past week. But even with their aid, the situation continues to deteriorate with endless attacks from all forms of military artillery.
Maryna often reminisces about the peaceful times in Avdiivka. The park, the boulevard, the multitude of shops, the plantation drives that once painted a beautiful landscape, are now relics of a distant past. Currently crouched amidst the rubble of her once thriving hometown, she despairs the obliteration of Avdiivka and wonders if there will be anything left to return back to. In her mournful voice she concedes, “There is no Avdiivka any more.”