Life under fire

Written on January 30th, 2015 in politics Comments Off

Video – Civilians trapped in E. Ukraine conflict zone adjust to war reality, 3.07 min, published on Russia Today RT, Jan 29, 2015.

Residents of towns along the frontline in eastern Ukraine have been living in constant fear ever since full-scale fighting resumed there. RT’s Roman Kosarev has spoken to those trying to survive in the very heart of the conflict zone.  

Six people have died and 12 were injured in Gorlovka, Donetsk Region, this week alone, the town’s website says. The local healthcare statistics say the overall Gorlovka death toll in the conflict has been 115 civilians, 17 children among them.

Now that several months of relative respite are over, those who had nowhere to flee from the war-torn area, are once again adjusting themselves to the sounds of artillery fire – a signal to quickly run and hide in the nearest basement.

“I am 63 years old, and have always worked for my country,” a woman tells RT. “But now I feel like I’ve been discarded like a worn-out glove. I used to be happy about life, but now there’s nothing to be happy about.”

The situation in places like Gorlovka was on Wednesday described as “awful” by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), which once again called on the warring parties to show respect for civilian lives.

“This is an awful situation that is currently developing in the area,” a senior Red Cross official Laurent Corbaz told RIA Novosti. “This is against all principles of international humanitarian law.”

Among those trying to bring life back to normal against all odds is Vladimir, a repair worker. Every time a building gets damaged in shelling he and his crew are there, trying to bring essential services, like electricity and heating, back to functioning.

Repair crews are working round the clock and regularly come under fire … //

… (full text).

Links:

Dear Syria: From One Refugee to Another, on ZNet, by Ramzy Baroud, Jan 29, 2015;

First we take Athens: Europe’s debt colony revolts, on ROARMAG.org, by Heathcote Ruthven, Jan 28, 2015: Syriza’s victory — a product of Greece’s vibrant, antagonistic culture of direct action and prefigurative politics — will resound throughout Europe . Image: Syriza MEP Manolis Glezos faces off with a riot cop in 2011;

The European Union May Be on the Verge of Collapse, on The Nation, by John Feffer, Jan 27, 2015: The complex federal project of the EU has proven fragile in the absence of a strong external threat;

Kobani liberated, Kurdish forces push ISIS out of town, on ROARMAG.org, by Joris Leverink, Jan 26, 2015;

Deflated Balls for Some, Miniature American Flags for Others, on The Nation, by Dave Zirin, Jan 21, 2015;

The World Today – WORLD WARS AND HISTORIC MEMORY, uploaded on YouTube by The World Today with Tariq Ali, Jan 20, 2015: PART 1, 30.24 min; PART 2, 29.58 min; (also on ZNet/Videos; and on teleSUR.tv).

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